Author Description
During The 1990s Lone Mothers Reached The Top Of The Political Agenda, Viewed As Both A Drain On Public Expenditure And A Moral Threat. What Has Been Missing From The Debate Is An Understanding Of How We Have Got To Where We Are. This Timely New Study, By Three Leading Experts In The Field, Sets Out First To Investigate The Demographics Of Lone Motherhood - How The Pathways Into Lone Motherhood Have Changed, And Whether The Changes Of The Last Quarter Of A Century Are As Dramatic As They Appear. Second, It Looks At The Wider Context For The Changes In Lone Motherhood In Terms Of Ideas About Marriage, And The Changes In The Construction Of The Never-married Mother, From Victim In The 1950s To Parasite In The Late 1980s. Finally, It Examines The Way In Which Policies Have Defined The Problem Of Lone Motherhood Over Time And The Way In Which Lone Mothers Have Been Treated With Regard To Housing, Social Security, And Employment. The Study Concludes That There Is Little Possiblility Of Putting The Genie Back In The Bottle In Terms Of Reducing The Number Of Lone Mothers - Efforts To Do So By Reducing Public Expenditure On Them May Be Effective, But At The Expense Of The Children Involved. Instead, The Authors Urge Policy-makers To Change Focus Again, And Pay More Attention To Investing In Children.
Menrva's Summary
THE THESIS
This study investigates the historical evolution of lone motherhood in twentieth-century Britain to determine how shifting social, moral, and political perceptions have shaped the lives of single mothers and their children. The authors, leading experts in social policy and demographics, utilize a combination of statistical data and historical analysis to trace the transition of the never-married mother from a figure of victimhood in the 1950s to a target of political scrutiny by the 1990s. They argue that current policy efforts to reduce the number of lone mothers through fiscal restriction often ignore the long-term welfare of the children involved, advocating instead for a shift toward investment in child-centered support systems.
THE SCOPE MAP
What You Will Find
- Demographic analysis of pathways into lone motherhood throughout the twentieth century
- Examination of shifting cultural attitudes toward marriage and single parenthood
- Historical review of policy frameworks regarding housing, social security, and employment
Scope Limits
- The study focuses specifically on the British context and does not provide a comparative international analysis
- The research concludes its primary analysis in the late 1990s and does not cover subsequent policy developments in the twenty-first century
THE AUTHORITY PERSPECTIVE
Experts recognize this work as a foundational text for understanding the intersection of social policy and family structure in modern Britain. Readers frequently note the clarity with which the authors synthesize complex demographic data and political history to challenge prevailing moral narratives.
Page Count:
346
Publication Date:
1998-01-01
Publisher:
Oup Oxford
ISBN-10:
0191039497
ISBN-13:
9780191039492
History
British History
Gender Studies
Social policy
Family Studies
Sociology
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