Ever wondered how other parents are faring around the world? The following statistics will give you a glimpse of the challenges that children in different situations face. This may help you to look at your own situation with a different eye. 

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1. Rich kid versus Poor kid

Your earning capacity affects which subjects your will child study at college or at university according to The Atlantic. Rich kids are likely to study less “useful” subjects such as English or performing arts because their parents’ money acts as a cushion against possible future underemployment or unemployment. 

Kids from low income backgrounds tend to study more pragmatic subjects such as computer science, math, and physics. Poorer kids tend to choose subjects as a means to an end. 

2. Sixty-two percent teenage pregnancy rate

The Canadian City of Timmings has a shocking 62 % per 1000 teenage pregnancy rate, despite the fact that the national teenage pregnancy rate has been dropping, according to timminspress.com. What could be the cause of such an alarmingly high pregnancy rate? One of the possible reasons given by experts is the lack of role models in the young women’s lives. Some of the young mothers lamented their lack of motivation in pursuing their school studies and the lack of encouragement from parents and guardians. 

3. Fifty percent of children have never visited the absent father’s home

In the USA an estimated 24.7 million children do not live with their biological father, according to mysuncoast.com 1 out of every 6 chairmen is a step-child and 26% of absentee fathers live in a different state to their child. 

40% of children living away from their fathers have not seen their fathers in over a year and 50% have never set foot into their father’s home. Children with absent fathers are more likely to be poor, have educational, health, emotional and psychological problems. They are also likely to be abused, and to engage in criminal activity compared to children with married parents. 

4. Women spent about 30% more time parenting than men

Fivethirtyeight.com reports that in 2014 21% of Americans spent their day caring for children. Women spent 30 % more time parenting (2 hours, 10 minutes per day for women and 1 hour, 35 minutes per day for men) than their male counterparts. 84 % of men and 74% of women reported not do any childcare. 

5. Parents’ use smartphones 240 times in a day

According to i.tv.com an average parent uses the smartphone an average of 240 times a day. This is based on a study of 6500 parents across UK done by myfamilyclub.co.uk. Most parents first click their phones between 7a.m. and 8a.m. 20% do so before 6. a.m. 22% were found to stop using their phones around midnight. 

47% log on to Facebook or other social media sites before doing anything. Over 50% sleep next to their smartphones. 

Parenting experts said this addiction to electronic devices harms personal relationships and vital face to face communication. Parents are encouraged to put away their electronic devices and to engage in outdoor activities (biking, going to the park or learning a new activity) with their children. 

80% of parents in the UK think that their children are growing too fast due to peer pressure and the internet, according to aleteia.org. These parents allow their 10 year-old children to own a mobile phone and iPads, have a TV in their bedroom and to surf the web unsupervised by age 12. 

The report quotes a 2013 Microsoft survey which found that 29% of parents allowed their under- 7 year-olds to use a mobile phone unsupervised and 40% allowed them to surf the web without supervision.