Lone-parent families

Question 1

Lone parent families now make-up

Answer 1

24% of all families.

One in 4 children now live in lone-parent family

Question 2

What percentage of lone-parent families are headed by women?

Answer 2

90%

Question 3

Which women are and were the biggest group of lone mothers?

Answer 3

until 1990s
-divorced women were the biggest group of lone mothers

from the 1990s
-single (never married) women became the biggest group lone mothers

Question 4

Reason for the increase in lone parent families

Answer 4

-increase in divorce
-death of one parent

Question 5

Reasons why lone parent families tended to be female-headed

Answer 5

-courts would usually give custody to mother
-mothers wanted to be single by choice
-women rather live off benefits
-feminist ideas

Question 6

Explain increased divorce as the reason for increased no. of lone parents

Answer 6

increase in divorce and separation and increase of never-married women having children

also linked to a decline in stigma attached to births outside marriage

Question 7

Explain death of a parent as the reason for increased no. of lone parents

Answer 7

in the past death of one parent was a common cause of lone-parent families

but this no longer very significant

Question 8

Explain how why courts system leads to lone parent families tended to be female-headed

Answer 8

widespread belief that women are by nature suited to an ‘expressive’ or nurturing role

courts tend to give custody to mothers after divorce

Question 9

Explain how why personal choice leads to lone parent families tended to be female-headed

Answer 9

some women may not wish to cohabit or marry or they may wish to limit the father’s involvement with the child

Question 10

Who can you use as supporting for evidence for the point that lone parent families tend to be female-headed due to personal choice ?

Answer 10

Jean Renvoise (1985)

Question 11

Jean Renvoise (1985)

Answer 11

found that professional women were able to support their child without the father’s involvement

Question 12

Explain how why relying on state welfare leads to lone parent families tended to be female-headed.

WHO CAN YOU REFER TO ?!!!

Answer 12

Ellis Cashmore (1984)
found some w/c mothers with less earning power chose to live of welfare benefits w/o a partner, usually those who had experienced abuse

Question 13

Explain how feminists ideas leads to lone parent families tended to be female-headed.

Answer 13

feminist ideas
-greater opportunities for women may have also encourage an increased in the number of never-married lone mothers

Question 14

New Right views on increase lone-parent families

who can you refer to?

Answer 14

Charles Murray (1984)
-sees the growth of lone-parent families as resulting from an overgenerous welfare state providing benefits for unmarried mothers and their children

Question 15

Who created the notion of ‘preserve incentive’ ?

Answer 15

Charles Murray

it rewards irresponsible behaviour such as having children w/o being able to provide for them

Question 16

Murray argues that welfare benefits creates…?

Answer 16

‘dependency culture’
-in which people assume that state will support them and their children

Question 17

What is the solution, according to Murray?

Answer 17

abolish welfare benefits
-this would reduce the dependency culture that encourages births outside marriage

Question 18

Critics of New Right views

Answer 18

argue that welfare benefits are from from generous and lone-parent families are much more likely to be in poverty

Question 19

Reason why critics of New Right believe that welfare benefits are from generous and Lone parent families are much more likely to live in poverty ?

Answer 19

-lack of affordable childcare= prevents lone parents from working = 60% are unemployed

-inadequate welfare benefits

-most lone parents are women, who generally earn less than men

-failure of fathers to pay maintenance, especially if they have formed a second family that they have to support