Lone Parent Families

Obj: To understand the reasons for the increase in lone parent families. To understand the New Right & feminist views of lone parent families and evaluate these.


The Reality: 

• In the UK, the percentage of single parent families has tripled since 1970s.
• Now in the UK, about 25% of families with dependant children are single parent families.
• 1 in 5 children in Europe live with a lone parent.
• In the past single parent families were usually caused by being widowed, now most are from divorce or from couples not getting married in the first place.

Changes and attitudes in society that have lead to an increased number of lone parent  families:

• People feel like they don't need to be with a partner to have a family.
• Divorce is cheaper now, so people don't have to stay with a partner they no longer love.
• People are leaving partners that abuse them or are unable to provide for the family.
• Unplanned pregnancies in teenage years. (sexual permissiveness)
• Women are more independent, so they no longer feel like they need to be financially dependent on men.
• Feminists see this as a good thing, whilst New Right argue its now too easy to be a single parent.
• Secularisation, there is less stigma around single parent families.
• The government want to help provide for single parent families, so they feel more safe.
• There is less social pressure to get married.
• Increased cohabitation, People can split up easier. 

Teenage single mothers:

• Only 3% of lone mothers are teenagers
• Despite media headlines suggesting otherwise, overall, teenage pregnancies have fallen nationally by 9.4%  since 1999.
• in 1970, young woman aged 15 to 19 in England and Wales were almost twice as likely to become mothers as they are today.
• Furthermore, the belief held in some circles that teenagers only get pregnant to get a council house is not backed by facts.
• Seven out of ten 15 to 16 year old mothers, and around half of 17 and 18 year old mothers, stay in the family home.
• Actual average age of a lone parent is 34 years old. 

90% of single parent families are headed by women.

• women are seen to have a better connection with their children, there is a stigma that because women gave birth to the child, they are more nurturing and therefore, better suited to look after the child.

• Women are more likely to take a child away from a dysfunctional family than men are, this could be arguably because women have their 'Motherly intuition' and know when their baby could be in danger, or have an unhappy life. 

• in Courts, the mother is more likely to win custody of the child than their fathers.
•  Fathers may be less likely to give up work when a child is born.
• It is the cultural norm for women to bring up the children alone.