As Michael Harrington's "New American Poverty" alerted readers to that problem, so the present collection makes readers aware of the various conditions of single parenting. . . . The institutional barriers of courts, housing, and workplace to the economic well-being of the female single parent are explicitly and directly examined. Solid recommendations for institutionalizing change on the state and federal levels are made. The interdisciplinary expertise of the authors covers the fields of law, social work, urban planning, housing, economics, and public policy, all with solid academic preparation. Charts are clear and concise, and the laguage is direct and concrete. "Choice"

The single-parent family phenomenon is primarily about households headed by single mothers with minor children. Some perceive this growing family form as a threat to the values of the traditional nuclear family and often stereotype the mothers and their children as problems all too often dependent on public assistance. Others cite an uncaring society that ignores the needs of its more vulnerable members. Stereotypes of single women as parents, however, often significantly misrepresent the reality. Indeed, the very ignoring of the great range of differences that characterize contemporary single mothers has itself led to a large and harmful body of myths that perpetuate and intensify the single parent's problems.

This sensitive, substantive book provides a needed examination of the realities of single parenthood for women. It makes a major contribution toward thoughtful formulation of policies for improving the economic and social well-being of single parents and their children. Scholars and practitioners in the fields of law, social work, urban planning, housing, economics, and public policy address and respond to the many problems, challenges, and barriers that single mothers confront in the courts, in labor markets, and in housing.

"The New Uprooted" explores the relationship between the single mother and her social and physical environments. Mulroy examines how demographically diverse single mothers (in terms of race, class, marital status, urban or suburban location, educational level, and employment status) experience dual roles as sole family breadwinner and sole resident parent in the 1990s environment of scarce resources. Families headed by single mothers have become a unit of social concern not only because they represent a changing family form, but because their economic marginality threatens a downward spiral toward the instability of urban poverty. The mothers' key issues are the high cost of housing their families in relation to low wages, irregular or nonpayment of child support, public welfare benefit levels, and the effects of domestic violence.

The book is based on multi-method research that includes analyses of the most recent census data relative to the changing composition of families and households, economic trends, and employment; analysis of recent empirical studies on increased neighborhood poverty and urban restructuring; and field research on the coping strategies of 73 single mothers. It will be of interest to public policymakers, scholars, and students of the contemporary American family, housing, and welfare issues.

"The New Uprooted" explores the relationship between the single mother and her social and physical environments. Mulroy examines how demographically diverse single mothers (in terms of race, class, marital status, urban or suburban location, educational level, and employment status) experience dual roles as sole family breadwinner and sole resident parent in the 1990s environment of scarce resources. Families headed by single mothers have become a unit of social concern not only because they represent a changing family form, but because their economic marginality threatens a downward spiral toward the instability of urban poverty. The mothers' key issues are the high cost of housing their families in relation to low wages, irregular or nonpayment of child support, public welfare benefit levels, and the effects of domestic violence.

The book is based on multi-method research that includes analyses of the most recent census data relative to the changing composition of families and households, economic trends, and employment; analysis of recent empirical studies on increased neighborhood poverty and urban restructuring; and field research on the coping strategies of 73 single mothers. It will be of interest to public policymakers, scholars, and students of the contemporary American family, housing, and welfare issues.