In defense of single-parent families / Nancy E. Dowd.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Dowd, Nancy E., 1949-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Single-parent families--United States.

Single-parent families.

Single parents--Legal status, laws, etc.

Single parents.

United States.

Single mothers--United States.

Single mothers.

Single fathers--United States.

Single fathers.

Single parents--Legal status, laws, etc--United States.

Physical Description:

xxii, 200 pages ; 23 cm

Place of Publication:

New York : New York University Press, 1997.

Summary:

Nancy Dowd details the primal justifications for stigmatizing single-parent families, marshalling an impressive array of resources about single parents that portrays a very different picture of these families. She describes them in all their forms, with particular attention to the differential treatment given never-married and divorced single parents, and to the impact of gender, race, and class. Emphasizing that all families face significant conflicts between work and family responsibilities - a conflict thrown in sharp relief in single-parent families - Dowd argues many two-parent families in fact function as single-parent care-giving households. The success or failure of families, she contends, has little to do with form. Many of the problems faced by single-parent families mirror problems faced by all families. Illustrating the harmful impact of current laws concerning divorce, welfare, and employment, Dowd makes a powerful case for centering policy around the welfare and equality of all children. A thought-provoking examination of the stereotypes, realities, and possibilities of single-parent families, In Defense of Single-Parent Families asks us to consider the true purpose of a family.

Contents:

The stories of stigma : what we say about single-parent families

The realities : what we know about single-parent families. The poverty justification. The developmental justification. The morality justification. Implicit justifications : race and gender stories

Divorced single parents. The context of work and family. Family law. Employment law. Welfare. Conclusion : law, stigma, equality, and choice

Nonmarital single-parent families. The context : nonmarital single parents. Nonmarital families and the law

Single parents as positive role models. Black single mothers and their families. General characteristics of single-parent families

Policies for single-parent families. Lessons from where we are now. Elements of changed policy toward single-parent families

Legal strategies. Defining family. Family support.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

0814718698

OCLC:

34943266