Unit B -Blog 8

Urban working mothers have more issues to deal with that working mothers who live in mixed neighborhoods because there are more factors to deal with. One would be that there are many more single mothers in urban areas due to the fact that more and more men are winding up in jails, leaving families to fend for themselves with one parent. Even if they leave jail, it is hard for them to then get hired and get a job to help support the family. Another reason would be the drive to investigate the using and selling of drugs because they are more abundant in urban areas. Women may see this as an escape to the stress they experience everyday and as a quick way to make nontaxable income. And once drugs are introduced into the family, it is likely the child will accept that as a family trait and become involved themselves. There is also the concern for the way children grow up in urban areas. There are more gangs which leads to violence and early pregnancy. This will only increase the stress on the mother and force the child to stay at a poverty level if they decide to join a gang or become pregnant. Urban areas also have worse living options. Areas that are affordable are usually apartments that are run down, tiny, and cramped with people. One video in a previous section mentioned that many people live in a studio apartment with seven to eight others. The apartments are usually not inspected and have poor heating and cooling systems. Urban areas also do no include front or back yards for the children to play, leaving them to roam the streets or hang out in parks that are unsafe. The last thing I would like to mention is aside the fact from the gangs, in mixed income neighborhoods there would be more of an opportunity for poor children to see different types of people who are successful. Mothers feel like the influences they see will have a more positive effect. If a child in poverty lives in an urban area with heavy poverty levels, they will know no other way of life and they will only be interacting with other poor people. Parents want the best for their kids so it is only natural that they would want them to see a potential for a better life rather than seeing the same struggles in every family they know.