Since my project this year will focus on my new identity as a single mother, during my meeting with Jeff and Tom on Thursday we briefly discussed the stigma toward single-motherhood that makes something already so difficult that much more of a struggle. I confess that at times I hate to call myself a single mother; it just isn't a pleasant thing to be associated with. Too many people immediately jump to conclusions and place judgment - all single mothers must be out to earn welfare, right?
I just started some reading on the subject, and one book that I found suggests a lot of the thoughts that people have towards single mothers, and none of the stereotypes apply to me. I find this odd, because I know I am not alone in my circumstances. Anyway, here is an interesting excerpt. I think it is important to be aware of how false stereotypes are. Read away.
"'Welfare' has become the code word for the 'welfare-queen' - the inner-city, young African American mother that has children in order to stay on welfare, and produces multiple generations of welfare recipients. These families are characterized by neglect, substance abuse, crime, and delinquency. Poverty is the fault of the individual - in this case, the single mothers - rather than the structural forces of society, and welfare has been constructed as a major cause of lack of work effort, unwed motherhood, promiscuity, teenage child bearing, school failure, substance abuse,and other forms of deviant behavior. By stigmatizing the "other" it validates the righteousness of the majority."
- from Blame Welfare, Ignore Poverty and Inequality by Joel F. Handler
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