Single-mother households are becoming more and more common in the United States. Over the past 50 years, the number of children raised by single mothers has more than doubled. It is the second-most common living arrangement for children in the United States; living with co-habitating parents is the only more common arrangement, demonstrating the need for centering single mothers and their children in economic policymaking. More children in the United States are raised by single parents, the majority of whom are single mothers, than in any other country in the world.

Single mothers and their children across the United States face particularly challenging economic circumstances. For instance, it is well-documented that single mothers, compared to mothers in co-habitating living arrangements, are at a greater risk of living in poverty, underscoring the need for centering single mothers and their children. According to the most recent U.S. Census Bureau’s Supplemental Poverty Measure, almost a quarter of single-female-headed households live in poverty, at 23.9 percent.

U.S. economic policies have not evolved to adequately serve single mothers. As a whole, social infrastructure policies in the United States may only modestly ameliorate the risk of poverty for single mothers and their children because targeted income support programs tend to be insufficient for lifting families out of poverty.

The U.S. Congress and the second Trump administration can help with centering single mothers and their children. Three factsheets and an overarching column, authored by the Washington Center for Equitable Growth and published by Share Our Strength’s Center for Best Practices, explain in detail why these young families in particular need support. But briefly, these analyses present the evidence that government income support programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the Child Tax Credit, and Unemployment Insurance, as well as Medicaid, not only help young families, especially those led by single mothers, but also boost stronger long-term U.S. economic growth. These factsheets and column also detail policy recommendations, many of which enjoy bipartisan support in Congress.

Read the full article about supporting single mothers and their children by Megan Rivera at Equitable Growth.