Lone Parent Families: Gender, Class and State

by Rowlingson; Karen

• ISBN13: 9780582287617
• ISBN10: 0582287618
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Nonspecific Binding
• Copyright: 2001-11-09
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

Appropriate as supplemental reading for courses in Social Policy and Social Studies that examine the role of parenting in society. The subject of lone mothers is a controversial and highly topical social and political issue. This unique core text examines the key issues in the debate, and assesses their impact on the UK and other countries in a comprehensive and accessible way. Broad in scope, it covers a wide range of issues including gender roles, the relationship of the family and the state, and the relationship between social policy and labour market policy.

Table of Contents

Introduction	x
List of figures	xii
List of tables	xiii
List of boxes	xv
Acknowledgements	xvi
Part One The context	1	(94)
Lone parent families today	3	(30)
Numbers, characteristics and dynamics	3	(15)
The dynamics of lone parenthood	18	(4)
A profile of non-resident parents	22	(3)
International comparisons	25	(6)
Summary	31	(2)
The fall and rise of lone parenthood	33	(22)
The historical context	33	(9)
The recent growth of lone parenthood	42	(1)
Explaining the recent growth of lone parenthood	43	(9)
Summary	52	(3)
Thinking about lone parenthood	55	(20)
Sociological approaches to the family	55	(5)
Gender and class perspectives on lone parenthood	60	(3)
Ideologies of parenthood and childhood	63	(2)
Defining lone parenthood	65	(7)
Summary	72	(3)
The role of the state	75	(20)
The nature of 'the state' and the regulation of 'private' behaviour	76	(4)
The right to reproduce: direct and indirect state intervention	80	(2)
Children's rights	82	(4)
Approaches to family policy	86	(4)
UK government strategy: Supporting Families	90	(3)
Summary	93	(2)
Part Two Lone parent families and social policy	95	(128)
Poverty and social security	97	(26)
The social security system	97	(6)
Lone parent families and poverty	103	(5)
Underclass, dependency and social exclusion	108	(4)
Government strategy: tackling poverty and social exclusion	112	(9)
Summary	121	(2)
Work and employment	123	(26)
Work, gender and the free market	124	(3)
Lone parents in paid work	127	(3)
Lone parents not in paid work	130	(6)
Policies to encourage lone mothers to take paid work	136	(7)
Should lone parents take paid work?	143	(3)
Summary	146	(3)
Care and welfare of children	149	(24)
Parental contact and care	149	(7)
Non-parental childcare	156	(4)
Outcomes for children	160	(9)
Summary	169	(4)
Non-resident parents and child support	173	(24)
Who should pay for children?	173	(5)
Who does pay for children?	178	(6)
Child support and the state	184	(9)
Summary	193	(4)
Health, housing and hardship	197	(18)
Sickness and disability	197	(5)
Housing lone parents: tenure, ghettoisation and quality	202	(6)
Living standards of lone parent families	208	(4)
Summary	212	(3)
Conclusions	215	(8)
Appendix 1: Sources of quantitative data on lone parent families	223	(4)
Appendix 2: Useful Internet sites	227	(2)
References	229	(12)
Index	241