Parental educational support plays a significant role in the educational success of learners. Research has emphasised the important role of father involvement in educational achievement; however, little is known about how educational support is understood within marginalised contexts such as female-headed households, especially where fathers are…

Following the ongoing increase in nonmarital fertility, policy makers have looked for ways to limit the disadvantages faced by children of unmarried mothers. Recent initiatives included marriage promotion and welfare-to-work programs. Yet policy might also consider the promotion of three generational households. We know little about whether…

This study examined how the developmental processes of autonomy and relatedness are related to changes in the residential status of 181 first-time, adolescent, urban, low-income, African American mothers over the first 24 months postpartum. Although adolescent mothers were eager to live independently, few made a clear transition out of the…

Examined effects of household structure on labor force status of female heads of families with minor children using the March 1985 Current Population Survey. Results suggest that models of labor force behavior are misspecified if female heads of families are not analyzed separately by race and marital status. (Author/ABL)

Examined the effects of demographic variables, variables specific to marriage and divorce, and coping resources (internal and external) on the adjustment of single mothers. Results indicate that four classes of variables have an effect on the mother's adjustment: phase of divorce and/or separation; numbers and ages of children; style of coping;…

Interviews with urban female heads of households were conducted to study decisions regarding child care for school-age children. Subjects attempted to choose care that was compatible with their role as provider and with their resources. Feelings, values, and children's opinions played a role in decisions. (PCB)

In a family with a physically absent father, a high degree of psychological father presence relates to wife dysfunction and family dysfunction. The wife's instrumental personal qualities may be even more important in closing-out the father role and reorganizing her family. (Author)

The resourcefulness of poor Black female heads of households is shown in the methods they use to stretch and supplement their incomes, their ability to obtain help from their extended families, and their sharing of resources. Their responsibilities, however, lead to great emotional stress. (Author/MC)

Urban women are better off in labor force participation and poverty than women in central city and rural areas. Differences in access to jobs and welfare benefits explain the urban-rural variation. Finds that the most important factor for not living in poverty is earning income. Recommends policies for reducing poverty among single, working…

We examine race and residential variation in the prevalence of female-headed households with children and how household composition is associated with several key economic well-being outcomes using data from the 2000 5% Public Use Microdata Sample of the U.S. Census. Special attention is paid to cohabiting female-headed households with children…

Discusses the possibilities for homeownership by female heads of household, taking into consideration recent demographic trends, income, sex discrimination, mortgage financing, and the continuing surge of housing costs and interest rates. Special federal housing programs are helping only a few women to purchase homes. (CT)

Critically reviews old and recent research on African American father absence, calling for a paradigmatic shift that emphasizes the value of investigating the effects of father absence as part of a transactional process. Views father absence as a stressor that can potentially give rise to additional stressors that can increase childhood risks for…

Describes investigation exploring relationships between adolescents' reports of fathers' interest in them, fathers' interest in adolescent relative to a sibling, and adolescent self-esteem in postdivorce, mother-headed families and two-parent, always-married families. Suggests adolescents with low-interest and differentially interested fathers had…

Examined attitudes of 20 divorced mothers about becoming their families' breadwinners. Attitudes toward breadwinning varied according to 3 marital history types: segregated, modified-segregated, and primarily wife-shaped. Findings showed that mothers from segregated marriages had the greatest difficulty accepting the breadwinner role. (TE)

An analysis of recently published census data suggests that gender, race, and ethnicity strongly affect poverty rates. However, parenthood interacts with gender in such a way as to affect only women and to affect white women more than blacks and Hispanics. Competing arguments regarding public policy to alleviate such problems are considered.…