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This is a qualitative study that documents the daily lives of vulnerable lone mothers and their children in Denmark. Loss of rights, gender and ethnic inequality, and family violence all emerge as key themes with international implications. Policy and practice recommendations are made with wide-ranging applications for an international audience.
List of contents
Introduction: lone motherhood in international context. Part One Whither equality? The worlds of Danish lone mothers: Critical obstacles confronting lone mothers; Struggling against the odds; Fighting for an education. Part Two The outsiders - the worlds of ethnic minority lone mothers: Life on the margins. Part Three Violence and the culture of silence: Life under siege. Conclusion - policy and practice recommendations.
About the author
Valerie Polakow is Professor of Educational Psychology and Early Childhood Studies at Eastern Michigan University, USA. She was a Fulbright scholar in Denmark in 1995, and has written extensively about women and children in poverty, and welfare and child care policies. Therese Halskov is Associate Professor at the Danish National School of Social Work, Copenhagen. She has conducted research on vulnerable populations in the EU and authored several books on social work. Per Schultz Jørgensen is former Professor of Social Psychology at the Royal Danish School of Educational Studies, Copenhagen. He served as Chairman of the National Council for Children in Denmark from 1998-2001.
Summary
This is a qualitative study that documents the daily lives of vulnerable lone mothers and their children in Denmark. Loss of rights, gender and ethnic inequality, and family violence all emerge as key themes with international implications. Policy and practice recommendations are made with wide-ranging applications for an international audience.
