The Public Use Sample of the 1900 census was used to examine single parenthood in the U.S. population overall, in seven major cities, and in four predominately rural states. The data allow us to identify single parent subfamilies, a group missed by reports based on published census statistics. The proportion of children living with single parents in 1900 approximated that of 1960:8.5 percent as compared with 9.1 percent. Migration and immigration were not associated with single parenthood. Black children were more likely than white children to live with single parents, especially black children in urban areas. Approximately seventy-five percent of black and white single parents were widows.
The ratio of one-parent families is stable in France (9.3%), as is the sexratio (20/80), but the average age of single parents is falling and widowhood and separation are declining in favour of illegitimacy and divorce as causes of single-parenthood. The illegitimate birth rate is now around 8.5%.; Unmarried mothers present some profoundly different features according to the social groups they belong to : underprivileged class, West Indians, working class, traditionalistic or modern part of the middle classes.; Since 1965, some laws have been passed liberalizing the French legislation about family and sexuality and having some direct or indirect effects on illegitimacy and single-parenthood.; The first unmarried mothers' homes were opened at the end of the 19th century, as a result of anxiety about the under-population of France. The present policy is to combine antenatal and postnatal homes, in order to permit a long-lasting psychological and educational action. A subsistence level is now guaranteed for some time to single pregnant women or single parents.; Several associations were recently created to protect the interests of single parents.
This is the pre-peer reviewed version of the following article: Poveda, David, Jociles, María Isabel, Rivas, Ana María. Professional discourses on single parenthood in international adoptions in Spain. PoLAR: Political and Legal Anthropology Review 36.1 (2013): 35–55, which has been published in final form at http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/plar.12002. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving ; This article examines psychologists' and social workers' discourses in relation to international adoptions by single parents in Spain. The analysis suggests that these professionals, who play a key role in moving forward (or not) the adoption process,work with a distinctive notion of "the best interest of the child" in which a hetero-sexual couple is taken as the normative referent of parental and family relations. Theprinciple of the child's best interest is explicitly defined at the legislative level andis incorporated as part of child protection policies, though in interview discourses itintertwines with many other themes. Our analysis uncovered some diversity in psy-chologists' and social workers' discourses, which seem to be tied to their professionaland experiential background, though an argument that portrays single parenthoodin negative terms dominates their views. These representations are developed eventhough the available evidence from post-adoption assessments does not support such bias ; The findings presented in this article are part of the research project funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation Monoparentalidad por Eleccion: ´Estrategias de Autodefinicion, Distinción y Legitimación de Nuevos Modelos Familiares [Single Parenthood by Chioce: Self-definition, Distinction and Legitimation Strategies of New Family Models] (Plan Nacional I+D+I 2008–2011, Reference: FEM2009–07717FEME)
The number of one parent families has risen by about 80 per cent since 1971, reaching just over a million in 1986. (Haskey 1989). In 1986, they made up 14 per cent of all families with dependent children, and the primary reason for this large increase is marital breakup: about 70 per cent of the increase is attributable to the growth in the number of divorced and separated mothers. At present, 90 per cent of single parents are women, and ¾ of mothers heading one parent families have previously been married.
This article examines psychologists' and social workers' discourses in relation to international adoptions by single parents in Spain. The analysis suggests that these professionals, who play a key role in moving forward (or not) the adoption process, work with a distinctive notion of "the best interest of the child" in which a heterosexual couple is taken as the normative referent of parental and family relations. The principle of the child's best interest is explicitly defined at the legislative level and is incorporated as part of child protection policies, though in interview discourses it intertwines with many other themes. Our analysis uncovered some diversity in psychologists' and social workers' discourses, which seem to be tied to their professional and experiential background, though an argument that portrays single parenthood in negative terms dominates their views. These representations are developed even though the available evidence from post‐adoption assessments does not support such bias.
The article discusses how single parenthood is approached as a negotiated object throughout the agenda-setting1 of the actors of diversity policy in the Brussels-capital region. In a perspective of a sociology of public action2, we want to trace and question how a series of actors (public services, Ministers, the negotiation between unions and trade organizations, actors of civil society and research, etc.) participate in a long process of recognition3 of a new target group in various diversity4 and employment policies (and also urban development). The question is addressed how diversity has been understood between an intention to affirm and recognize the specificities related to this family form and social situation, whilst promoting in the same time a universalist approach5. We take account of the efforts and questionings of the policy-actors in relation to anti-discrimination and the promotion of diversity throughout their (promoted) research, discussions and negotiations through a collective set of actors coming from networks of several public policies (cf. Brussels technical platform of single parenthood).
Increases in divorce and nonmarital childbearing have dramatically altered the family lives of children in the United States. The increasing number of children residing in single-parent households often has been linked to many of the nation's most serious social problems, including delinquency, teenaged pregnancy and welfare dependency; in fact, it is widely believed that single-parent families represent a risk factor for children's development. There are several methodological weaknesses in the research used to document the negative effects of single-parent families on children. The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between single-parent family status and children's gender and social skills, utilizing a predominantly ethnic minority sample, while controlling for family socioeconomic status (SES). It was hypothesized that after controlling SES, there would be no differences between children (boys and girls) from single- and two-parent homes on measures of social skills and conflict management. This was a secondary analysis of data that were collected in a larger study focusing on child–parent relationships and conflict management. Sixty-eight preschool-aged children and their parent(s) residing in a large urban area in the southeastern United States participated in this study. Teachers of children in the study completed a social skills rating scale on the children, and parents provided necessary demographic information. Results indicated that there was no difference between boys and girls from single-parent and two-parent families on their social skills, including conflict management. Also discussed are the implications for practitioners and others who work with children from single parent homes.
Most single-parent families in China are headed by women, and single mothers represent one of the fastest-growing groups living in poverty. Yet few studies have examined this group. This article seeks to better understand how (and why) single mothers are disadvantaged in China. Based on in-depth interviews conducted in Zhuhai, Guangzhou Province, it demonstrates that single mothers are left behind in four respects: lower income and worse economic conditions, lower employment and career development opportunities, worse physical and mental health, and poorer interpersonal relationships and less chance of remarriage. The causes of these disadvantages include Chinese family beliefs, a culture of maternal sacrifice, the traditional division of labour between men and women and social stereotypes about single mothers. The article highlights the impacts of Chinese familism culture on single mothers and advocates incorporating a gender perspective into the agenda of family policy and other relevant social policies in China.
The Belgian welfare state was historically structured regarding socio-professional situations and family status, which also referred to different forms of solidarity and care inside the family. Based on a research regarding single-parenthood in Brussels, we will address how recent transformations struggle to better adapt to transformations regarding the way individuals live together with others and how they share parental responsibilities. Inspired by the founding works of Blumer (1971), we will retrace through a sociological perspective how different actors (public administrations, governments, unions, as well as the « civil society » and researchers) have participated at a long process of « collective definition » that constructed single-parenthood as a new category (Dubois, 2009) of regional work policy and federal social welfare policy. Based on a qualitative survey (observation and interviews), as well as longitudinal statistics, we analyse how the various situations of single-parenthood are approached through the tension between the will to assert and recognize the specificities of these situations (cf.targeting), and the choice to favour a universal approach. The notion of "adapted universalism" permits to explain, following our hypothesis, the connections that were carried out the last years with work and welfare policy.
The Belgian welfare state was historically structured regarding socio-professional situations and family status, which also referred to different forms of solidarity and care inside the family. Based on a research regarding single-parenthood in Brussels, we will address how recent transformations struggle to better adapt to transformations regarding the way individuals live together with others and how they share parental responsibilities. Inspired by the founding works of Blumer (1971), we will retrace through a sociological perspective how different actors (public administrations, governments, unions, as well as the « civil society » and researchers) have participated at a long process of « collective definition » that constructed single-parenthood as a new category (Dubois, 2009) of regional work policy and federal social welfare policy. Based on a qualitative survey (observation and interviews), as well as longitudinal statistics, we analyse how the various situations of single-parenthood are approached through the tension between the will to assert and recognize the specificities of these situations (cf.targeting), and the choice to favour a universal approach. The notion of "adapted universalism" permits to explain, following our hypothesis, the connections that were carried out the last years with work and welfare policy.
