Author Description

Single Women//Family Ties combines retrospective interview data, a life course perspective, and working class women's history to illuminate the contribution to family development of lifelong single women in relation to their widowed peers. The author examines the social and historical contexts of the women's childhoods; their experiences as young adults and the processes leading to singlehood or marriage; the mid-life variations in family keeping and caregiving experiences; and the meaning of singlehood in old age. Allen analyzes a wealth of detail on the life course of these women and reveals the largely caretaker role for both widowed and single women, thus providing insight into the previously unexplored role of older single women in family caregiving. An important qualitative study, this groundbreaking volume will make fascinating reading for scholars and students in the fields of family, gerontology, and women's studies.