At Rope’s End: Single Women Mothers, Wealth and Assets in the U.S.
By Mariko Chang, PhD and C. Nicole Mason, PhD
October 6, 2010
It is estimated that over 18 million children live in households headed by single women. Compared to two-parent families, households headed by single women mothers are more likely to live in poverty and have fewer financial assets.
As the racial wealth gap continues to widen, there is an urgent need to understand how the intersections of race, gender and motherhood status impede an individual’s ability to accumulate wealth in our society.
A commissioned report for the Opportunity Series of the Women of Color Policy Network, NYU Wagner, At Rope’s End: Single Women Mothers, Wealth and Assets in the U.S. examines the economic security and vulnerability of single mothers through the lens of wealth and asset accumulation as opposed to income and employment.
The Study Found That:
-Single women mothers possess only 4 percent of the wealth of single fathers: $100 compared to $25,300
-Single women mothers with less than a high school education have a median wealth of zero, while those with a college degree or higher report a median wealth of $6,000
-Over half of single mothers under the age of 40 have zero or negative wealth
-Single women mothers who receive child support have more wealth than those who do not receive support: $6,800 to zero.
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