Studien syftar till att undersöka ensamstående kvinnors upplevelser av att skaffa barn på egen hand via assisterad befruktning, samt deras syn på sin roll som ensamstående förälder. Studien är en kartläggande litteraturöversikt som inkluderar tolv artiklar från olika delar av världen. Resultatet visar på att kvinnor som blivit eller ämnar bli mamma genom assisterad befruktning processat beslutet under en lång tid. Processen beskrivs även som en känslosam resa som inkluderar en stor sorg över att inte dela föräldraskapet med en partner och att därmed frångå drömmen om en kärnfamilj. Däremot betonar kvinnorna att de är tacksamma att möjligheten till assisterad befruktning finns, vilken möjliggör deras önskan om moderskap. Inför assisterad befruktning står kvinnorna inför olika ställningstaganden och förberedelser. Dessa rör bland annat föräldraskap/omsorg, ekonomi/boende och val av assisterad befruktning. En stor oro hos kvinnorna rör den norm som råder i samhället om kärnfamiljsidealet och hur bemötandet av kvinnans omgivning kan komma att påverka dem. Slutsatsen visar på att valet att genomgå assisterad befruktning inte var kvinnornas ursprungliga plan utan var ett beslut som togs på grund av livsomständigheter. Beslutsprocessen och behandlingen var för många en påfrestande process och här uttrycks ett behov av stöd och anpassningar i vården. Vi lyfter kuratorn som en viktig profession som kan tänkas fylla funktionen av ett psykosocialt stöd för ensamstående kvinnor som genomgår assisterad befruktning. Vidare krävs det mer forskning för att undersöka ensamstående kvinnors behov inom den svenska hälso- och sjukvården. / The aim of this study is to explore single women's experiences of having a child on their own using assisted reproduction and their view of their role as a single parent. This study is a literature review that includes twelve studies from different parts of the world. The results show that single women by choice, who already have become or intend to become mothers through medically assisted reproduction, have thought through their decision for a long period of time. The process of becoming a single mother by choice is described by the women as an emotional journey that includes grief of not having a partner to share the parental responsibilities with, and thereby departing the dream of a nuclear family. However, the women emphasize their gratefulness for the possibility to undergo assisted reproduction, with a desire for motherhood. Before starting the process of assisted reproduction, the women face different decisions and preparations. This concerns parenting/care, finances/housing and decisions about assisted reproductive technology, among other things. A concern among the women is how norms about the nuclear family ideal that prevail in society could affect them negatively. The conclusion shows that the choice to undergo assisted reproduction was not the women's original plan, but rather a decision made due to life circumstances and the fear of missing out on the dream of becoming a mother. For many, the decision-making process and treatment was a stressful period, and here a need for support and adjustments within the healthcare system was expressed. We highlight the counselor as an important profession that can fulfill the function of psychosocial support for single women undergoing assisted reproduction. Furthermore, more research is needed to examine the needs of single women by choice within the Swedish healthcare system.

No description available.

Single-mother families represent the second most common family structure, with one in four children raised by single mothers. Children of single-mother families are at greater risk than children from two-parent families to experience internalizing and externalizing psychopathology, with differences attributed to systemic disadvantages inherent to single motherhood. The current study hypothesized that established risk factors (low income, negative parenting, maternal depression, and neighborhood crime) would predict greater rates of psychopathology in adolescents of single mothers than those of partnered mothers via exposure to proximal risk factors (elevated adolescent stress and reduced emotional support). In a community sample of adolescents and their mothers (N = 485, 46% single mother, 48% White) assessed over the course of two years, adolescents of single mothers were more likely than those of partnered mothers to experience prospective depressive symptoms and externalizing disorders. Although the hypothesized proximal risk factors did not differ across family structures, adolescent children of single mothers were more likely to experience stressors independent of the adolescent’s behavior. Additionally, single-mother families were more likely to be of low socioeconomic status, live in neighborhoods high in violent crimes, and employ negatively-controlling parenting. Importantly, these factors were significantly interdependent, suggesting compounded risk for youth mental illness in single-mother families that highlights the extent of their disadvantages. Youth of single mothers were more likely to experience prospective depressive disorders and symptoms via exposure to elevated negatively-controlling parenting. Despite elevated rates of psychopathology and distal risk factors, our proposed model of risk only was partially supported, suggesting single-mother families remain resilient despite exposure to various risk factors. Clinical implications and study limitations are discussed. / Psychology

This thesis is trying to find out what variables could affect the situation of single mothers on the labor market in the Czech Republic. First, there are identified nine variables that can affect their position on the labor market. Analysis of these variables leads to its subsequent division into two groups - individual and objective. In the context of individual variables, the focus is on a financial and material situation, support of wider family, job aspirations and a need for harmonization of work and personal life of single mothers. As objective variables is dealt with the social and family policy, possibilities of preschool and school facilities, access of an employer in terms of using a family-friendly approach and a risk of discrimination, a risk of unemployment. The subsequent empirical survey with the qualitative design utilizes personal experiences of single mothers from their activity on the labor market in the context of selected variables. Evaluation of the survey confirms six out of nine effects such as influencing variables. The thesis concludes evaluating of all the facts while there is a further demonstration of possible extension of this investigated issue. Key words: single mother, family, working life, personal life, harmonization, labor market

A few years ago South Korea got a lot of attention from abroad. The phenomenon called “Baby box” emerged in modern society and gave mothers a place to abandon their baby in a safe environment.  The purpose of this study is to trace how the phenomenon “Baby box” appeared and to understand what the situation of unmarried mothers in Korea are. By studying the Korean history of adoption practice, women’s limited status, the welfare system and law the author tries to find an answer to why so many unmarried mothers chose not to bring up their own children and instead give them up for adoption or even abandon them. The “Baby box” has become a place that saves lives of children as they are abandoned in a safe environment, however legalizing the “Baby Box” puts other issues on the table. The thesis raises the question whether the “Baby box” can be a solution to child abandonment in Korea or if the issues remain until legal action is taken.

Inledning: Övergången till att bli mor belyses i denna studie utifrån fem ensamstående mödrars subjektiva upplevelse av sitt moderskap.  Frågeställningar: Hur upplever den ensamstående kvinnan moderskapet? Vilken inverkan har moderskapet på hennes självuppfattning? Vad upplevs hjälpsamt respektive begränsande för övergången till att bli mor? Metod: Studien baseras på intervjudata från narrativt inriktade intervjuer med fem ensamstående förstagångsmödrar med barn, 9-15 månader gamla. Data har analyserats med tolkande fenomenologisk analys. Resultat: Tre framträdande teman framkom. Det första temat fokuserar på barnet som en brytpunkt i kvinnans liv. Det andra temat illustrerar att det ur mor-barn-relationen som en jag-du-relation kan växa fram ett vi i relationen, vilken såväl utmanar som berikar moderns själv. Det tredje temat fokuserar på att den ensamstående modern brottas med frågor som rör tillräcklighet i sitt föräldraskap, vilket här ses som både ett resultat av det ensamma ansvaret och att den ensamstående modern tycks utmana såväl en tvåsamhetsnorm inom föräldraskapet som ett internaliserat kärnfamiljsideal.  Diskussion: Med utgångspunkt i relationell psykoanalytisk teori analyserades resultatet. Moderskapet visade sig i studien kunna medföra en själv-förändring genom en förändringsprocess i tre steg som för modern visar sig som: själv-uppluckrande, själv-utmanande och själv-förstärkande. Processen ses vila på såväl det praktiska som det etiska ansvar som modern har för barnet, något som i sin tur också genererar ett ansvar för sig själv. Intersubjektiviteten mellan mor och barn ses som en motor i processen. Den ensamstående modern tycks särskilt sårbar under denna process när hennes behov av närhet, stöd och erkännande accentueras. Den ensamstående modern riskerar också att uppleva sig ensam-stående om omgivningens uttryckliga och indirekta budskap går isär när hon genom sitt föräldraskap finner sig utmana vissa normer. Då finns risk att hon upplever sig ensam, utsatt och ifrågasatt. Att erbjuda kvinnan samtalsstöd under graviditet och framväxande moderskap med öppenhet för såväl den kroppsliga, psykologiska, relationella, sociala som existentiella dimensionen är en klinisk implikation som föreslås i studien. / Introduction: In this study, which is based on the interviews concerning the experiences of five single mothers, the transition to motherhood is highlighted. Objectives: How does the single mother experience motherhood? What is the impact of motherhood on her self-perception? In the transition to becoming a mother, what is considered helpful and what is considered limiting? Method: Based on five narrative interviews, with single mothers having children aged in the range 9 to 15 months, a qualitative interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) approach has been used. Results: In the analysis, three themes emerged. In the first theme, the child was seen as a breakpoint in the woman’s life. In the second theme it is acknowledged that, out of the mother-child relationship, like an I and a You relationship, a sense of a We emerged in the relation, which challenges as well as strengthens the mothers’ sense of self. The third theme acknowledges that, the single mother struggles with a feeling of insufficiency as a parent, which is seen as both a result of the sole responsibility and that the single mother seems to challenge both a two-parent norm within the parenthood and an internalized ideal of nuclear family.  Discussion: Starting from relational psychoanalytical theory, the results were analyzed. In the study, the transition to motherhood follows a three-step process of self-changes that initially dissolves the self, then challenges the self and finally strengthens the self. The process is developed from an actual and ethical responsibility of the mother for the child, which in turn also generates a responsibility for herself. Intersubjectivity was seen as a driving force in the process. The single mother seems particularly vulnerable during this process when the need for closeness, support and recognition is accentuated. The single mother seems also at risk of experiencing herself standing alone when she finds that her parenthood might challenge certain norms and the immediate and indirect message of the environment might be divorced. Then there is a risk that she experiences herself questioned, exposed and lonesome. Providing women with therapy support during pregnancy and emerging maternity is a clinical implication suggested in the study.

No description available.

This paper examines the effects of social capital in the lives of low-income single mothers and how it intersects with the goals of the Personal Responsibility Act (PRA). These explicit goals are to decrease reliance on public assistance through work and marriage; the implicit goals are to enhance social capital by increasing the trust, norms, and values that are evidenced by work and marriage. However, low-income single mothers are faced with limited repositories of social capital, which leaves them in a legislated quagmire. Tested here is the hypothesis that social capital impacts marriage, stable employment, and TANF use. The findings indicate that social capital impacts stable employment and economic stability in low-income single mothers, but it does not increase the likelihood of marriage. Further research that examines how social capital intersects with race and class will shed additional light on the efficacy of policy initiatives that focus on social capital reinforcement in low income female-headed families.

Bakgrund: Kärnfamiljen ses generellt som den gyllene normen för familjebildning men verkligheten visar att familjer ledda av en ensamstående förälder, främst då mammor, är en familjeform som stadigt ökar. Samtidigt visar forskningen att ensamma mammor är en utsatt grupp i samhället med mer generella hälsoproblem. Statistiken lyfter fram att det är negativt för kvinnors hälsa att vara ensamstående mamma. En mer sammansatt bild av mammornas upplevelse av sin vardag kan vara en viktig förutsättning för distriktsköterskan vid mötet med dessa kvinnor. Syfte: Syftet med denna litteraturgranskning var att identifiera upplevelser av vardagslivets utmaningar som ensamstående mamma. Metod: Litteraturstudie som inkluderade 12 studier med kvalitativ ansats. Analys av data genomfördes utifrån Evans tolkande datasyntes. Resultat: För den ensamstående mamman utgjorde vardagens alla krav en stress. Det som främst stressade var hennes ekonomiska situation och att allt ansvar låg enbart på henne, att det inte fanns någon att dela kraven och intrycken med. Detta gav en känsla av trötthet och utmattning som gav mammorna en känsla av ohälsa både fysiskt och psykiskt. Den främsta faktorn till välbefinnande hos mammorna var i interaktion till andra, sitt sociala nätverk. I de granskade studierna framkom en stolthet över sin förmåga och själva moderskapet lyftes fram som en givande och stärkande roll. Slutsats: Granskningen visade på vikten av ett socialt sammanhang, att ha ett socialt nätverk oavsett storlek. Det gav stora positiva effekter på mammornas välbefinnande. / Background: The ”Cosby-family” is viewed as a standard for family formation, but reality shows that families led by a single parent, especially mothers, are a family form that is steadily increasing in societys. At the same time, the research shows that it is a vulnerable group in society with more general health problems. The statistics emphasize that being a single mother is negative for women's health. A more complex picture of the single mothers' experience of their everyday life can be an important prerequisite for the district nurse in the meeting with these women. Aim: The purpose of this literature review was to identify the experiences of everyday life's challenges as a single mother. Method: A literature study that included 12 studies with a qualitative approach.  The analysis of data was carried out based on Evans interpretive data synthesis. Results: For the single mother, the everyday demands were a stressfactor. What mainly stressed her was her financial situation and that all the responsibility lay solely on her, that there was no one to share the demands and feelings with. This gave a feeling of fatigue and exhaustion that gave the mothers a sense of ill-health both physically and mentally. The main factor of well-being of the selected group was when they interacted with others, their social network. In the examined studies, a sense of pride came out for their accomplishments and the motherhood itself was highlighted as a rewarding and strengthening role. Conclusion: The review showed the importance of a social context, to have a social network regardless of it´s size. It had great positive effects on the mother's wellbeing.

本研究採取質性研究方法針對成年未婚媽媽之婚姻與生育決策進行探討，了解成年未婚媽媽從未婚懷孕初始至生育之經驗與感受、分析決定未婚生育之因素，以及彙整未婚生育歷程之需求。透過本研究期待可瞭解：一、探討成年未婚媽媽未婚生育之經驗與感受；二、分析成年未婚媽媽婚姻與生育抉擇之因素；三、整理成年未婚媽媽未婚生育之需求，以利社會工作實務相關參考。本研究使用立意取樣與滾雪球抽樣策略，與台北市大孜婦女中心、台北市文山婦女中心合作，選取符合本研究設定之研究對象參與研究，並以滾雪球策略以研究者自身之網絡邀請受訪者，歸納研究結果提出建議，提供社會工作實務參考。 依據研究問題與目的，研究者邀請北部地區十二位成年未婚媽媽進行一對一的深度訪談，研究結果茲分述如下： 一、成年未婚媽媽決定生育之因素包含「避免殘害生命」、「生理因素」，以及「情感因素」。（一）生理因素：擔憂超過生育年齡、擔憂孩子健康狀況不佳、擔憂墮胎對本身健康不佳。（二）情感因素：欲生下喜歡之人的孩子與希冀生育可綁住兩人的關係。 二、決定留養之因素則包含下列五項：對孩子難以割捨的情感、孩子是感情的寄託、渴望為人父母、認為自行撫養對孩子較佳，以及養育是負責任的行為。 三、成年未婚媽媽婚姻決定之因素主要包括兩大部份：「考量婚姻之成本」與「考量婚姻之效益」，前者包含個人因素中的渴望自由、避免無法融入對方家庭、對婚姻形式不認同、對婚姻角色不認同、對婚姻沒有信心以及避免與不適任之男友結婚；後者則包含不需害怕他人眼光、獲得家人諒解，以及可以給孩子一個完整的家。 四、成年未婚媽媽於未婚生育之時，主要的需求可分為以下四點：害怕他人眼光、徬徫無助之心態、財務困難與親職無法負荷。 五、研究發現成年未婚媽媽在婚姻與生育之決定上，含有社會交換的觀點，並且受到婦女成年早期發展任務之影響；其次，在面對困難時，亦符合生活模式所提出會先對壓力源進行評估，並尋找環境之資源以利交流調適。