Social and personal aspects of single motherhood: pedagogical and social contexts

Abstract

The article addresses the issue of single motherhood for women in individual, social and pedagogical aspects. The personality and social conditions of single motherhood were analysed. Two main contexts of experiencing motherhood by contemporary women were pointed out, which are social norms and cultural patterns as well as individual, intrapsychic conditions of perceiving oneself as a mother. Social references and pedagogical conditions of single motherhood were shown. It was pointed out that the way women experience motherhood depends to a large extent on family, professional, colleague situations and random events. While discussing the issues of loneliness and solitude, the pedagogical aspect of this phenomenon and the multitude of possible attitudes and references to motherhood experienced were pointed out. The article indicates that social expectations for single mothers imply how women perceive their motherhood and how it affects the pedagogical dimension of its implementation. Motherhood as a conscious decision of a woman and as an undesirable state, as a consequence of events over which the woman-mother has no influence – these are other versions of motherhood described and analysed in the article. The article ends with considerations on the pedagogical dimension of the implementation of motherhood, and therefore on the role and place of children and family as the closest environment of women-mothers. The final part also indicates the need for institutional support for single mothers and their families.