Mothers and Divorce

Legal, Economic, and Social Dilemmas
Mothers and Divorce: Legal, Economic, and Social Dilemmas by Terry Arendell is a sobering and insightful examination of the enduring economic and social challenges faced by divorced mothers in America. Moving beyond the often romanticized narratives of self-reinvention that dominate popular culture, Arendell centers her study on the lived realities of sixty divorced women. The book reveals how the trauma of divorce for women is fundamentally economic rather than psychological, often resulting in a precipitous drop in social class and long-term financial instability. By combining firsthand accounts with a critical analysis of systemic gender inequities, Arendell exposes the structural vulnerabilities that perpetuate poverty among divorced mothers and their children.

Arendell’s study challenges pervasive myths about divorce, including the assumption that both genders experience the aftermath similarly or that remarriage offers a reliable escape from economic hardship. Instead, she demonstrates how divorced mothers disproportionately bear the brunt of caregiving responsibilities while receiving inadequate or no financial support from former spouses. This economic abandonment, compounded by wage disparities and societal indifference, exacerbates the feminization of poverty. Arendell’s nuanced approach bridges the gap between statistical analyses of gendered economic inequality and the intimate, everyday struggles of real women, making this book a critical resource for those seeking to understand and address the systemic injustices shaping the lives of single mothers in America.

This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1986.

Contributor: Arlie Russell Hochschild (Foreword by)

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