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No Margin for Error: Fifteen Years in the Working Lives of Lone Mothers and their Children

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 November 2018

JANE MILLAR Open the ORCID record for JANE MILLAR [Opens in a new window]  and
TESS RIDGE Open the ORCID record for TESS RIDGE [Opens in a new window]
JANE MILLAR
Affiliation:
Institute for Policy Research, University of Bath, Bath BA2 7AY, United Kingdom email: j.i.millar@bath.ac.uk
TESS RIDGE
Affiliation:
Department of Social and Policy Sciences, University of Bath, Bath BA2 7AY, United Kingdom email: t.m.ridge@bath.ac.uk
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Abstract

Over the past two decades, the emphasis on paid work has become one of the defining features of social security policy in the UK. Lone mothers and their families have been one of the key groups affected. In this article we focus on the working and family lives of lone mothers and their children over time, drawing on material from a long-term qualitative research study, and setting this in the context of policy developments. We explore the long-term consequences of trying to sustain work, and manage low-income family life as children grow up and needs change over time. This highlights some of the tensions and limitations in family support and relationships when resources are limited. We reflect on the links between insecurity, legacies and the state.

Type
Article
Information
Journal of Social Policy , Volume 49 , Issue 1 , January 2020 , pp. 1 - 17
Copyright
© Cambridge University Press 2018 

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