Loneliness and lack of social support have been described as the more serious social consequences of the single-parent status. Revealed shifts in the household composition of one-parent families over time, a lower level of community participation, and a feeling of powerlessness among single-parent, family heads. (Author)

This paper examines black and white female heads of families interviewed in 1967 in a national longitudinal sample of women, age 30-44. Results suggest poor women and women dependent upon AFDC, child support and other stigmatizing, unstable sources of income feel less able to plan for their lives. (Author)

Considers power-control theory in single-parent, female-headed families to determine whether a delinquency gender gap exists among children of single mothers, and what effects socialization has on delinquency. Findings show no gender difference in delinquency. Also, delinquent offending increased for females who associated with delinquent peers.…

Because of the high incidence of divorce and increase in the proportion of births to unmarried women, more children are spending at least a portion of childhood living with only one parent. This study uses data from the 1984 Panel of the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP), to address the relationship between family structure and the…

Life-table procedures and data from the 1973 Family Growth Survey are used in this paper to determine: (1) the cumulative probability that by a given age a child will have experiences a single-parent family as a consequence of marital disruption; (2) the cumulative proportion of these children experiencing either remarriage or age 18 by given…

Households headed by women are more likely to be poor than those headed by men. The number of impoverished female-headed families is increasing due in part to the rising divorce rate. Other factors are the following: (1) lack of child care; (2) wage discrimination; (3) unfair divorce settlements; and (4) inadequate public assistance. (VM)

Explores roles of class differences and economic status in household structure. Provides some evidence of between-group differences in family structure, partially attributable to differences in economic status. Concludes that the importance of economic status may be offset by other factors, including family social and emotional support needs, and…

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)

This annual report summarizes some of the notable recent trends in household and family characteristics and contains detailed demographic data from the March, 1985 "Current Population Survey." The households vary greatly in size and complexity. Some of the aspects of household demography that have important consequences for both consumer demand…

A growing number of families are headed by single women. A longitudinal study was conducted to identify major goals of these women. Data from mailed questionnaires and telephone interviews were collected from 136 divorced women. Results from the first year of the study revealed the goal most often identified by the women was financial…

This report details findings of the Intergovernmental Relations and Human Resources Subcommittee concerning the strengths and weaknesses of current and proposed Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) work programs for promoting self-sufficiency among poor women; the role of support services such as day care; successful innovations in State…

The Task Force on Divorce and Divorce Reform was established by the Family Action Section of the National Council on Family Relations in the Fall of 1971. Its purpose was to study divorce in relation to the family, and draft a report which would constitute the basis for action by the NCFR and its members. Since several aspects of divorce were to…

Family structures in two lower-income Puerto Rican neighborhoods in Hartford, Connecticut were studied. Researchers concluded that structures vary considerably, that economic difficulties impact heavily on mental health and general adaptability, and that dual parent households where neither parent is employed experience the greatest difficulties.…

More than one fourth of all families today are one-parent families, and almost 90 percent of those families are headed by women. This book focuses on assessment and intervention with one-parent families, particularly mother-headed families, based on gender-sensitive principles combined with other family-centered strategies to help accentuate the…

It was the purpose of this investigation to examine the effects of living with a male or female head-of-household upon the arithmetic performances of fourth graders. No significant differences were found in mean scores between male and female pupils. Significant differences were found favoring those pupils living with male heads-of-households.…