Final answer:
Single mothers are likely to face the greatest economic disadvantages in the workplace, due to factors such as the feminization of poverty, the motherhood penalty, and a disproportionate share of household responsibilities that affect their earnings and job experience.
Step-by-step explanation:
To discern who faces the greatest economic disadvantages in the workplace, we must consider various factors that influence earnings and employment opportunities. Historically, there has been a disparity between sexes and family status in the workplace.
According to a study cited by the U.S. Census Bureau, children who live with married parents generally have more advantages over those with single parents, which suggests that single parents might face greater economic disadvantages. This aligns with the concept of the feminization of poverty, as single mothers, especially during the 1980s, often earned salaries below the poverty level, a situation severely affecting minority women and those in rural areas.
It has been observed that women bear a large share of household responsibilities, which tends to decrease their job experience compared to men, leading to lower average wages. The motherhood penalty refers to women with families and children being typically paid 7% to 14% less than other women with similar education and work experience, while the fatherhood bonus implies that married men earn more than single men. Mining through the presented data, it becomes evident that single mothers are most likely to face the greatest economic disparities in the workplace.