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.
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