Lone Parenthood
Sociology: AQA A Level, topic 4.2.5
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
- 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
- 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
- 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.
- 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 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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.
Test yourself on Lone Parenthood
What percentage of lone parent households are headed by women?
What proportion of all families with dependent children were lone parent families in Britain in 2015?
What percentage of lone parent families arise from divorce, separation and widowhood in previously married or cohabiting couples?