Ameliorating Poverty and Income Inequality in Detroit

[belleislerunner]

We could fix it in a generation.

Confirmed by Harvard, the single most important factor blocking social mobility are single parents.

http://www.slate.com/articles/double..._families.html

Stop teaching girls it's okay to get pregnant until there's a ring on it. Stop teaching guys not to wrap it up until there's a ring on it.

There are always anecdotal outliers [[rape, widower/widow) but fixing these behavioral choices are the key to a generation better than the last. And it can be done. It used to be the case.

[Canadian Visitor]

We could fix it in a generation.

Confirmed by Harvard, the single most important factor blocking social mobility are single parents.

http://www.slate.com/articles/double..._families.html

Stop teaching girls it's okay to get pregnant until there's a ring on it. Stop teaching guys not to wrap it up until there's a ring on it.

There are always anecdotal outliers [[rape, widower/widow) but fixing these behavioral choices are the key to a generation better than the last. And it can be done. It used to be the case.

In a world where common-law is increasing the norm for couples, and divorce can be 'no-hassle', I'm not sure I'm stuck on 'the ring'.

But I will concur that teenage parents as well as those who either get pregnant outside a committed relationship or end up outside one, often find themselves very economically challenged.

In so far as delaying pregnancy for the right partner at the right time is desirable, is this a function of more thoughtful and comprehensive sex education?

If parents can't or won't 'teach' a wiser course of behaviour, should the state?

What about Birth Control? Should it be free to young women? Should they be able to access it w/o parental knowledge or consent?

How can the [[typically) male, non-custodial parents be held more accountable?

Is it merely that the former partner doesn't want them around? Do they know their rights or those of their child? Can they afford to access those rights? And if the 'dad' is a school aged teen w/no job, what then?


Just wondering......

[Scottathew]

We could fix it in a generation.

Confirmed by Harvard, the single most important factor blocking social mobility are single parents.

http://www.slate.com/articles/double..._families.html

Stop teaching girls it's okay to get pregnant until there's a ring on it. Stop teaching guys not to wrap it up until there's a ring on it.

There are always anecdotal outliers [[rape, widower/widow) but fixing these behavioral choices are the key to a generation better than the last. And it can be done. It used to be the case.

I agree with you that this would be a HUGE thing to fix. Parents need to open their eyes and not rely on common-sense, abstinence, and a single form of birth control.

I've got a five year old daughter and a three year old son. I plan on doing the following:

1) Offering my daughter the option to get birth control, and telling her I expect her to take the offer if she is sexually active
2) Stressing the importance of avoiding STD's and pregnancy via condoms
3) Letting my kids know that abstinence is preferred, but the most important thing is to not get STDs or pregnant

I hope that my approach works. My parents took a completely hands-off approach and it resulted in my sister getting pregnant at the age of 16 [[gave birth when she was 17).

People need to drop the hard-line abstinence only approach, or the hands-off whatever happens approach that my parents took.