The Lone Female Single Parent: Social Stigma and Self-Perception

This article discusses the subjectivity of 24 working mothers, whether single, separated, divorced, or as widows belonging to different social classes from middle-sized towns in Western Mexico. The aim is to know how their imaginings of the ideal family change after the collapse of the marital bond -- whether from death, abandonment, separation, or divorce -- & how they cope with having children without a male parent companion; see how they perceive the treatment they receive from women & men in the wake of this process; & understand how they assess the collapse of the marital bond & having children at this stage of the life course & in the aftermath of these events. Findings show the transformation of their imaginings of the family, the process of social exclusion by women & sexual harassment by men after the breakdown of the marital bond and/or birth of children, & the relevance of these elements in valuating the partner's death or separation from him, & the birth of children. Adapted from the source document.