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)

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…

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)

This paper uses data from the 1970, 1980, and 1990 Censuses to investigate the impact of welfare benefits across Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) on the incidence of single motherhood and headship for young women. A contribution of the paper is the inclusion of both MSA fixed effects and MSA-specific time trends to account for fixed and…

This study analyzed the impact of family structure (two-parent families, single-parent female-headed families, or female-headed subfamilies) on health and on medical care utilization by 6,932 children. The stresses of single motherhood led to poorer reported health for young children, regardless of income adequacy, minority group status, or other…

Examines changes in female labor force participation since 1950. Finds little difference currently between metro and nonmetro areas in propensity of women to work outside the home. Traces racial and age differences in labor force participation. Finds family situation and changing social expectations responsible for increase in working women. (LFL)

This paper considers the rising phenomenon of one-parent, female-headed households in Georgia, identifies family service needs of these families, and explores availability of services. Female-headed families account for 16.4% of all families in Georgia, making it second-highest in the nation. From 1970 to 1980, the number of female-headed families…

A sample of mothers and daughters from the National Longitudinal Surveys of Labor Market Experience is examined to find out whether living in a one parent family has any effect on the chances of a daughter's completing high school. The sample is limited to mothers and daughters living in the same household during the initial sample screening in…

Provides an economic analysis of the status of African-American males, arguing that the precarious economic position of African-American males is the leading cause of single female-headed households in African-American communities. Marginalization processes based on low employment have pushed African-American males away from marriage. (SLD)

Using 1980 Census data, this study examined household composition and labor force participation for single mother households in urban and rural areas. The study used Census data on a representative random sample of 5,712 female headed family households. Variables studied were rural-urban status, household composition, labor force participation,…

In recent decades the proportion of women with children who head their own households has increased dramatically. The following factors have contributed to this: (1) decrease in fertility; (2) increase in divorce; (3) increased propensity for women with children to establish independent households; (4) increase in remarriage; and (5) increase in…

A study was conducted in Kentucky to increase the database available to the state's decision makers concerning women in relation to family status, occupational participation, income and earnings, and issues and concerns that may need greater emphases. Data were gathered through Kentucky government agencies and the U.S. Bureau of the Census as well…