4.2.5
Lone Parenthood
Lone Parenthood
Lone Parenthood
Since 1971, the number of lone parents in Britain has tripled. This has been caused by huge social, legal and technological changes within society.
Statistics
Statistics
- Since 1971, the number of lone parents in Britain has tripled.
- In 2015, around one in four of all families with dependent children were lone parent families (one of the highest proportions in Europe).
Gender differences
Gender differences
- Ninety per cent of lone parent households are headed by women, primarily because women are more likely to be awarded custody of children, reflecting the cultural norm that women are more suited to the expressive nurturing role of raising children.
- Men may also abandon the woman before the child is born.
Reasons for the rise
Reasons for the rise
- Greater economic independence for women through better job opportunities and support from the welfare state.
- Advances in reproductive technology such as IVF are enabling women to have children without a male partner.
Reasons cont.
Reasons cont.
- Changing social attitudes have reduced the stigma attached to being a lone parent.
- The rising divorce rate has meant that more women are raising children alone.
The New Right and Lone Parenthood
The New Right and Lone Parenthood
The New Right see the rise of lone-parent families as a sign of the decline of conventional family life. However, they often over look the causes of lone parenthood.
Views of the New Right
Views of the New Right
- The New Right see the rise of lone parent families as a sign of the decline of conventional family life.
- They also see lone parent families as a source of social problems, including juvenile crime.
The welfare state
The welfare state
- According to the New Right, the generosity of the welfare state encourages women to have children that wouldn’t otherwise be able to support, creating a culture of dependency.
Criticisms
Criticisms
- Ignores the fact that 88 per cent of lone-parent families arise from divorce, separation and widowhood in previously married or cohabiting couples.
- Most lone-parent families do not arise because people make a conscious choice to be lone parents.
Feminist critiques
Feminist critiques
- Feminists dispute the New Right claims, suggesting that they are an attack on lone parents (mainly women) as a patriarchal attack on the traditional roles of mother and homemaker.
1Theory & Methods
1.1Sociological Theories
1.2Sociological Methods
2Education with Methods in Context
2.1Role & Function of the Education System
2.2Educational Achievement
2.3Relationships & Processes Within Schools
3Option 1: Culture & Identity
3.1Conceptions of Culture
3.2Identity & Socialisation
3.3Social Identity
3.4Production, Consumption & Globalisation
4Option 1: Families & Households
4.1Families & Households
4.2Changing Patterns
4.3The Symmetrical Family
4.4Children & Childhood
5Option 1: Health
5.1Social Constructions
5.2Social Distribution of Healthcare
5.3Provision & Access to Healthcare
5.4Mental Health
6Option 1: Work, Poverty & Welfare
6.1Poverty & Wealth
7Option 2: Beliefs in Society
7.1Ideology, Science & Religion
7.2Religious Movements
7.3Society & Religion
8Option 2: Global Development
8.1Development, Underdevelopment & Global Inequality
8.2Globalisation & Global Organisations
8.3Aid, Trade, Industrialisation, Urbanisation
9Option 2: The Media
9.1Contemporary Media
9.2Media Representations
10Crime & Deviance
10.1Crime & Society
10.2Social Distribution of Crime
Jump to other topics
1Theory & Methods
1.1Sociological Theories
1.2Sociological Methods
2Education with Methods in Context
2.1Role & Function of the Education System
2.2Educational Achievement
2.3Relationships & Processes Within Schools
3Option 1: Culture & Identity
3.1Conceptions of Culture
3.2Identity & Socialisation
3.3Social Identity
3.4Production, Consumption & Globalisation
4Option 1: Families & Households
4.1Families & Households
4.2Changing Patterns
4.3The Symmetrical Family
4.4Children & Childhood
5Option 1: Health
5.1Social Constructions
5.2Social Distribution of Healthcare
5.3Provision & Access to Healthcare
5.4Mental Health
6Option 1: Work, Poverty & Welfare
6.1Poverty & Wealth
7Option 2: Beliefs in Society
7.1Ideology, Science & Religion
7.2Religious Movements
7.3Society & Religion
8Option 2: Global Development
8.1Development, Underdevelopment & Global Inequality
8.2Globalisation & Global Organisations
8.3Aid, Trade, Industrialisation, Urbanisation
9Option 2: The Media
9.1Contemporary Media
9.2Media Representations
10Crime & Deviance
10.1Crime & Society
10.2Social Distribution of Crime
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