Only 44 Percent of Americans Find Single Moms Respectable and Two-Thirds Would Consider Denying Single Moms Financial Aid, According to New Research by eLearners.com
Hoboken, New Jersey (February 18, 2010) — A new survey by eLearners.com (http://www.elearners.com), a web resource of EducationDynamics, which connects prospective students with online degrees, found that only 44 percent of Americans say single moms are respectable. The survey also found that two-thirds of Americans do not believe single moms should be given financial aid of any kind — even to help pay for school.
"We find it alarming that single moms are stigmatized and are not considered respectable by the majority of Americans," said Terrence Thomas, Executive Vice President of Marketing for eLearners.com, which created the Project Working Mom 2010 full-tuition scholarship program to send moms back to school. "Through Project Working Mom, we've heard countless tales of heroic mothers working multiple jobs to support their families while going to school at night to provide a better life for their children. This commitment certainly warrants tremendous respect."
The eLearners.com survey found that although 68 percent of Americans agree a college education is important for single moms to land a well-paying job or support their children, about just as many (66 percent) think they shouldn't receive financial privileges, like scholarships or tax breaks.
"Unfortunately, single moms are caught in a Catch-22. Americans agree that single moms need higher education to best support their children, but don't think they should receive help paying for it," continued Thomas. "Yet, without assistance many single moms would continue to stay in the cycle of under-education and under-employment, which is a crisis that can't go unaddressed."
Other Key Findings
- Women More Supportive than Men
The research found that women are more likely than men to believe a college education is key for single women to land a well-paying job or to be able to support their kids (73 percent vs. 62 percent), yet more men than women feel that single moms shouldn’t receive financial extras (70 percent vs. 61 percent). - Money Matters
Nearly two in five (38 percent) Americans assert that single moms should have their finances in shape so that they don’t rely on financial aid of any kind. - Take What They Can Get
More than a quarter (27 percent) of Americans feel single mothers should work anywhere that allows them to spend more time with their children, even if that translates into a smaller paycheck.
"It is truly unfair of mainstream society to stereotype single mothers, perpetuating the myths and negative portrayals of single moms," said Stephanie Clark, the National Director of Project Single Moms and the organizer of the "Women Who Rule the World" empowerment series, a part of Project Working Mom 2010. "People tend to overlook that most single moms are parenting on their own by circumstance and not by choice. The majority of single moms in our country are hard-working, respectable women taking care of their households as well as raising healthy, productive children. They are raising Presidents, celebrities, lawyers and doctors, yet are often not acknowledged for their positive attributes and contributions to our society."
To help combat these negative images and to help send more moms back to school, eLearners.com created Project Working Mom. In its fourth round, the Project Working Mom program has already awarded about $6 million in full-tuition scholarships to more than 150 parents. Project Working Mom 2010 is currently underway offering close to $5 million in full-tuition scholarships. For more information and to apply for a scholarship visit www.projectworkingmom.com.
About eLearners.com®
eLearners.com is one of several high visibility websites operated by EducationDynamics. Since 1999, eLearners.com has been successfully connecting learners to online education, including online degree and certificate programs, specialized career training, and a variety of online courses. For prospective students, eLearners.com provides a powerful search engine for users to find thousands of online degree program offerings, as well as educational evaluation tools and financial aid resources. For online colleges and universities, the eLearners.com website offers a low-cost, performance-based method to provide national exposure and increase enrollments in their online learning programs. For more information on eLearners.com, visit http://www.eLearners.com.
About EducationDynamics
EducationDynamics, a portfolio company of Halyard Capital, is higher education's leading marketing services company dedicated to helping institutions find, enroll and retain students. Its content-rich and highly visible education websites, including EarnMyDegree.com, eLearners.com, GradSchools.com, StudyAbroad.com, and its more than 50 special interest microsites, make EducationDynamics the premier provider of qualified prospective students for colleges and universities. In addition, the company offers a full suite of Web-delivered services proven to drive enrollment growth and reduce student attrition. Through its Market Research Services division, the company brings a decade of proprietary research, unparalleled market and student intelligence, and best practice insights to its clients. For more information, visit http://www.educationdynamics.com.
Survey Methodology
The eLearners.com Project Working Mom Survey was conducted by Kelton Research between January 22nd and January 28th, 2010 using an email invitation and an online survey. Quotas are set to ensure reliable and accurate representation of the total U.S. population ages 18 and over.
Results of any sample are subject to sampling variation. The magnitude of the variation is measurable and is affected by the number of interviews and the level of the percentages expressing the results. In this particular study, the chances are 95 in 100 that a survey result does not vary, plus or minus, by more than 3.1 percentage points from the result that would be obtained if interviews had been conducted with all persons in the universe represented by the sample.
