Children up to age 6 are considered young children, a designation that distinguishes the group from children ages 6 to 17. One parent families don't usually have the resources that two-parent families have for children. Related Issues Gender is an issue when poverty among children is discussed. Single heads of households can be male or females but female-headed families are the families associated with higher poverty rates. Single female householders can be further separated into single mother of divorce, single mother never married, and teen single mother.
Unmarried teens giving birth are the focus of welfare reform.
There are other mitigating factors. Employment and jobs are main factors that influence the poverty rate of families. Job insecurity, underemployment, and unemployment create low income families and father-absent families. Education of parents is another factor the contributes to family poverty. Parents who don't complete high school are less likely to keep steady employment and their families including the children are more likely to live in poverty.