Vexed Bermoothes

So much of Bermuda’s public dialogue centres around several key issues. Low graduation rates in public schools and corresponding low college attendence. Growing pay gaps derived from those educational differences. Overcrowded housing that costs a disproportionate amount of monthly income.

There is a common thread that runs through those issues:  the growth of single parent households in Bermuda.  A Bermuda Government survey highlights that 40% of local children under the age of 18 (more than 6,000) kids live in lone parent families.

Our leaders don’t like to touch this one – it’s a dicey issue as no-one wants to judge our own friends, neighbours, and relatives or to be accused of “blaming the victim.”

But here are some facts recently quoted in The Economist: large studies in America have found that children who grow up in single parent homes are five times more likely to be poor than those who live with both biological parents. They are twice as likely to drop out of high school. And they are less likely to successfully marry and maintain a stable family later in their own life.

At the same time, those Amercians who enter lifelong marriages typically end up four times richer than their single peers. This is partly because of the economies of scale and built-in safety net of a larger household. Moreover, the ability to share tasks allows better planning and time spent with children. Finally, married men seem to take life more seriously – drinking less, taking fewer drugs, and working harder – earning between 10-40 percent more than single men of similar schooling and professional backgrounds.

What can be done to re-emphasise the institution of marriage in Bermuda?  In the short term, what concrete initiatives can the community put in place to buttress single parent families, such as better day care options and additional after school programmes?