Earning Minimum Wage as a Single Parent Essays

Earning Minimum Wage as a Single Parent Essays Earning Minimum Wage as a Single Parent Essay Earning Minimum Wage as a Single Parent Essay â€Å"Americans people value work, and the work people should have a certain minimum value. That value is the minimum wage. In a company employers have more power than individual workers, especially workers without the skills needed to demand higher wages. This imbalance in bargaining power leaves workers with limited skills at the mercy of the employers. The minimum wage board helps balance the skills of each employee (â€Å"Increase the Minimum Wage, uaw.org/resrch/05/)†.â€Å"The proposed increase in the minimum wage to $7.25 an hour would move a single parent with one child above the poverty line but it would still leave that small family struggling to get by. If a minimum wage worker had more than one child or lived in an expensive area it would be even harder to make meet it ends.† Renormalizing the poor and giving those higher aspirations is the answer to their plight† (Toynbee, 2006),In line of the increasing cost of living, it is the least we can do is t o minimize the number of working families who are living in poverty (â€Å"Minimum Wage Increase, www.uaw.org|†.As a single parent who receiving minimum wage, it is not easy to meet the needs of their children, especially nowadays that all the prime commodities is increasing. Minimum wage was not a solution to the problem but it only show that minimum wage is only a threshold which is below poverty line.This paper will discuss about the earning minimum wage as a single parent, the problems behind it, the disadvantages of receiving minimum wage of being a single parent, and the need of an increase of the minimum wage,The federal minimum wage is a wage floor of $5.15 an hour that applies to almost all workers. It is applied in twenty-one place in the states including the District of Columbia that have set a minimum wage that is higher than the federal minimum wage. A living wage is a term often used by the people to point out that the federal minimum wage is not high enough to support a family.â€Å"We also find that the minimum wages tend to boost the incomes of poor families that remain below the poverty line†. (Bernstein, 1999).And the problems about the minimum wage are, some have attempted to calculate a living wage based on an income that would provide for a familys basic needs. How Much is enough? (Addison, 4). Focus on a discussion of basic family budget those measures if the minimum wage received by the employees is enough for their needs.   And† living wages† are generally much higher than the minimum wage. living wages was commonly refer to wages set by local ordinances that cover a specific set of workers, usually government workers or workers hired by businesses that have received a government contract or subsidy.Some disadvantages of receiving minimum wages and not receiving minimum wage stated as follows:A full-time worker earning the minimum wage would have an income but below the federal poverty line. And there are se veral factors that complicate this analysis. First, not all workers can find full-time work and they are not receiving minimum wage, same as the others that are unable to balance full-time work with family responsibilities. Second, federal programs such as the Earned Income Tax Credit and food stamps boost the reported incomes of working families. And third, the federal poverty line is viewed by many as an inadequate measure of the income needed to support a family.In America it is the duty of â€Å"The federal Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) combined with the minimum wage board to help reduce the poverty, even though that (EITC) is not a replacement for a minimum wage increase. But the Earned Income Tax Credit is a popular federal anti-poverty program and has an important piece of the ongoing strategy to make work pay equally. And one reason for the Edict’s popularity is that it is based on family income and its concern is therefore well-targeted to the poor families (Minim um Wage frequently ask question, epinet.org/content.cfm/issueguides)†Ã¢â‚¬Å"Due to both change in welfare policy and the growing economy, welfare caseloads have fallen precipitously since 1996, when the minimum wage was increased. But, in the context of the job loss critique and the relevant increase made it tougher for the women to enter the labor market. In fact, the employment rates of single mothers, after stagnating for many years, rose steeply from 62% in 1995 to 69% by 1998, directly over the period when the minimum was increased. And not all single mothers are on welfare, but among those receiving welfare, employment rates grew from 40% to 49% in 1997, so far the highest level on record (â€Å"Minimum Wage and Poverty, epinet.org/content.cfm/)’.In addition, it encourages employees especially the single parent to work efficiently because the wage subsidy increases if the earnings also increases small (Bernstein, 1999), until it reaches to the maximum credit leve l. The EITC and minimum wage work in tandem to raise a familys income. The effectiveness of the EITC in raising the incomes of the working poor above the poverty line depending on the regular increases of the minimum wage. The EITC and the poverty threshold both rise each year to reflect increases in the cost of living. And. the EITC alone is not enough to keep a family rise above the poverty line, but with the help of the federal government so that a minimum wage worker gets further away from the poverty line each year and the minimum wage is increased now and then.â€Å"Finally, from the perspective of the working poor, the minimum wage is a useful anti-poverty tool. But it cannot and should not; however, it is viewed as a sole solution against poverty. And this is primarily due to the fact that many employable poor persons have only marginal attachments to the labor market. As the literature evaluating minimum wages and poverty reveals, as well as some new findings it will prese nt regarding the last increase, raising the minimum wage is associated with small decreases in the poverty rate, but the poor need some other income supports, such as the EITC and food stamps to uplift their income (â€Å"Economic Policy Institute, epinet.or)†.Conclusion:Therefore, any increases in the minimum wage are based solely on the political climate and congressional agreement that an increase is needed. The frequency of minimum wage increases has varied depending on its capability of funds. And earnings minimum wages as a single parent it encountered hardships and problems. But if the members of the family will work hand in hand to face the trials in life it will become easy.â€Å"Single parent families become more interdependent, finding that working together helps solve problems. Because single parents rely heavily on the voluntary cooperation of their children and it is a good idea to involve them with the decision-making and problem-solving processes. As of this time young people tend to feel more needed and valued as contributing members of the household and are more likely to carry out decisions they played and a part in decision making. In single-parent families, each childs should help and cooperation is needed on daily basis situations (â€Å"Strengths of Single Parent Families, metlife.com/Applica)†In most industrialized countries they have laws setting a minimum wage, but these laws vary greatly by who is covered, and how strictly the law is enforced. In some countries, the minimum wage is not universal for the whole country, but varies according to the industrial sector or the workers age, gender, and qualifications.Overall, individuals working at or below the minimum wage were likely to be women, young people, students and part-time workers. Some were working to finance their education or support their families, while others were older workers looking to supplement their pension. However, it is also important to keep in mind that while the minimum wage is a crucial tool in the effort to end poverty, it is only one part of a larger anti-poverty strategy.Finally, In America, single parent being paid with the minimum wages was sufferings hardships especially if they have children’s more than three. They can’t meet the basic needs of their children; because their income is below poverty line. It is the work of the government to look to the needs of the people especially to that single parent who are receiving minimum wages and to give them an increase so that they can suffice their daily needs.References:Barro Robert J. (Hoover Institution), Workfare Still Beats Welfare, Wall Street Journal, May 21, 1996.Bernstein, Jared.  Ã‚   We also find that the minimum wages tend to boost the incomes of poor families that remain below the poverty line. Another Modest Minimum Wage Increase. Economic Policy Institute, 1999, Retrieved December 17, 2006 from. [epinet.org/content.cfm/webfeatures_viewpoints_ minwagetestimony].Bernstein, Jared, Make work pay,† Minimum Wages and Poverty.   Economic Policy Institute, 1 Bernstein, Jared, Heidi Hartmann, and John Schmitt. The Minimum Wage Increase: A Working Womans Issue. Washington, D.C.: Economic Policy Institute, 1999.Bernstein, Jared, and Chinua Brecht. 2000. The Next Step: The New Minimum Wage Proposals and the Old Opposition. Washington, D.C.: Economic Policy Institute. 999. Retrieved from [epinet.org/content.cfm/webfeatures_viewpoints_minwage].Hederman, Rea S. Jr. et al, Who Earns the Minimum Wage, Retrieved December 17, 2006 from heritage.org/Research/Economy/wm1186.cfmIncrease Minimum Wage Retrieved December 17, 2006 from [uaw.org/resrch/05/minimum_wage_aug2005.pdf]Lift Families out of Poverty, â€Å"living wage† Retrieved December 17, 2006 from [senate.gov/~rpc/releases/1998/minwage-crs.htm]Minimum Wage, Frequently Asked Questions, Retrieved December 17, 2006 from[epinet.org/content.cfm/issueguides_minwage_minwagefaq ];Strengths of Single Parent Families, Retrieved December 17, 2006 from [metlife.com/Applications/Corporate];Toynbee, Polly,† Renormalizing the poor and giving them higher aspirations is the answer to their plight†. A return to Tory terra firma, December 17, 2006. [http://politics.guardian.co.uk/columnist/story].;;