When senior reporter Naomi Schalit began her nine months of research for our series on Maine’s single parents in poverty, one of her first stops was Isabel Sawhill’s office at the Brookings Institution. You’ll find many quotes from Sawhill in Schalit’s five-part series; here is the complete interview transcript.
I have been a reporter for 34 years and this was the hardest story I have ever written. People didn’t want to talk to me. They didn’t want to give me “fodder for woman-blaming.”
A nine-month investigation reveals that the inability to lower the poverty rate in Maine is due in part to a change in the makeup of the state’s families.
Part 2: The story of one single mother speaks to the struggles shared by many single parents in Maine. “Every week’s the same,” she said. “I’m always broke. The electric, internet, diapers, toiletries, food when we run out of my food card…”
Veteran teachers and school officials are on the front lines of the crisis of the growth of children coming from poor families, many with just one parent at home. Their experiences show the impact of the changing face of the Maine family.
The story of the fathers who are rarely there. Interviews with men at the Maine State Prison who have one or more children with women to whom they are not married.
Is there a solution to the single-parent crisis? Not an easy one, say the experts and the people who try to help single mothers and their children. But they are trying.
We publish three newsletters that are delivered for free to your inbox. Stay informed of the latest and most important Maine news by signing up for all three!
Help us expand our in-depth and enterprise reporting.
Many of our stories have been based on tips from readers.
We have three newsletters to keep you the most informed about what is happening in Maine and to fulfill our mission of delivering fearless, independent, citizen-supported, nonpartisan journalism.
Click below to stay connected to Maine.
