In Defense of Single-Parent Families Nancy E. Dowd.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Dowd, Nancy E., 1949-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Single parents--Legal status, laws, etc.

Single-parent families.

Single mothers.

Single fathers.

United States.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (viii, 200 pages)

Manufacture:

Baltimore, Md. : Project MUSE, 2021

Place of Publication:

New York : New York University Press, 1997.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Single-parent families succeed. Within these families children thrive, develop, and grow, just as they do in a variety of family structures. Tragically, they must do so in the face of powerful legal and social stigma that works to undermine them. As Nancy E. Dowd argues in this bold and original book, the justifications for stigmatizing single-parent families are founded largely on myths, myths used to rationalize harshly punitive social policies. Children, in increasing numbers, bear the brunt of those policies. In this generation, more than two-thirds of all children will spend some time in a single-parent family before reaching age 18. The damage done in the name of justified stigma, therefore, harms a great many children. Dowd details the primary justifications for stigmatizing single-parent families, marshalling an impressive array of resources about single parents that portray 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, Dowd argues many two-parent families, in fact, function as single-parent caregiving 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 or goal 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:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

0-585-32660-6

0-8147-2108-7

OCLC:

45844059