The experience of single-parenting amongst divorced women: an exploratory study.

Abstract

Single-parenting has become an increasingly common form of family life in South Africa and abroad. The overwhelming majority of single-parent families are headed by women. This exploratory study aims to reach a fuller understanding of the experience of single-parenting for divorced women. An overview of literature was used to arrive at a broader appreciation of issues pertaining to marriage, the family, parenting, and marital dissolution. In addition, a qualitative method of inquiry, involving in-depth case study interviews with a small sample of single-parents, was employed to further this understanding by rooting it in subjective experience and in a South African context. Although predetermined variables limited the field, this was not a homogeneous group and the participants represented a range of views and experiences. The findings suggest that many problems experienced by single-parents are not peculiar to the single-parent situation and are common to women in conventional nuclear families. There is evidence that single-parents perceive single-parenting to be potentially beneficial in terms of their own personal development. Contrary to what the literature suggests, this study indicates that for some, single-parenting is not viewed as a transient state with remarriage as a universal goal. For those interviewed, it is a family form in its own right; not necessarily a preferred form but one which encompasses special joys as well as problems. The empirical material, derived from the multiple perspectives offered by the subjects interviewed, provides a poor basis for generalization but may be used to refine understanding and possibly modify old generalizations. It also leads to suggestions for further research which is necessary, particularly in the rapidly changing society in South Africa.