Often times the term "welfare
dependency" carries derogatory connotations that the recipient is
unwilling to work. As a single mother, I do understand the
impact of struggling through poverty. Struggling
through poverty is the exhausting and time-consuming fight to make ends meet
with no end in sight. It is the daily stress of having to choose between
whether to pay the rent, pay the electric bill, or pay for food. It is the
daily worry about whether the car will break down, someone will get ill, or
your child will need a new pair of shoes. Then having to decide which necessity
will have to be sacrificed to pay for the added expense of the unforeseen bill. Some of us have truly fallen on hard times
and are “deserving” of government assistance.
But are we all “deserving” of that support?
Too many single mothers, of age to work with
no disability, devote their time and energy looking for loopholes within the
system to stay dependent on it. My
theory as to why this seems to be, is most single mothers, thus they
are moving forward with changes of time, have not completely transitioned to
the new state of mind. The new state of
mind is we are living in a world of equal opportunity! There are no longer
policemen, there are police officers.
There are no longer mailmen, but mail carriers. There are no longer firemen, but
firefighters. In short it means
employment is no longer limited to just men; employment is available to
EVERYONE. If you are an able body
whether male or female, you have every right to gain employment and EARN an
income. Unfortunately there are more
women that possess the drive to “getting a man” to provide for them in additon to the goverment support they collect, than those with the desire to become
self-reliant. As a single mother, I ask,
how can we, as women, DEMAND to be treated equally to men if we still cling on
to the mentality that we need to be provided for? How can we expect men to view us in the same
respect if we do not make changes to get off the “system”? Furthermore, how can we go on celebrating the women before us that fought for our rights to equal opportunity, when we are still living in the "old state of mind"?
I understand in most cases we are left to pick up the pieces of a broken
family; or left to do the best we can for our children without a father in the
picture. Government assistance is there to aid us put the pieces back
together. It is there to help us move
forward towards self-reliance. It was
never meant to be a permanent source of income.
Let us focus less on who are next “perfect guy” is going to be and focus
more on cultivating and refining ourselves.
These days, men would prefer a woman that is self-sufficient to a woman
that believes she is entitled to a HANDOUT.
We prefer men that are resourceful, and because we wanted equal
opportunity, why should they expect any less from us?
