Solo mothers: quality of parenting and child development

Abstract

Introduction: Any consideration of the development of children in solo mother families is essentially addressing the more fundamental question “Do fathers really matter?” This presentation will explore the empirical evidence relating to the two areas of child development where fathers are generally considered to matter a great deal, (i) children's psychological adjustment and (ii) children's sex role development, and will examine whether fathers really do matter for these key aspects of children's lives. Children's psychological adjustment: The role of fathers in promoting children's psychological adjustment has been examined in the following ways: (i) Fatherless families have been studied to determine whether children without fathers differ from those who grow up with a father in the home; (ii) Lesbian families have been investigated to establish whether it is a father's maleness, or his role as an additional parent, that is important; (iii) Research has been carried out on families where the father is the primary caregiver to examine what effect this has on the child; and (iv) Traditional two-parent families have been studied to increase understanding of the processes through which fathers' relationships with their children influence children's psychological adjustment. Children's sex–role development: Whether or not fathers matter for children's sex–role development depends on the extent to which it is possible for parents to influence the gender development of their children. Different theoretical perspectives range from the view that fathers are essential to the position that fathers make no difference at all. Empirical evidence regarding the sex–role development of children in different family types will be presented to examine the role of fathers in children's gender development. Solo mothers: There has been much controversy in recent years about whether single heterosexual women should have access to assisted reproduction. The concerns that have been expressed center around the negative effects of growing up in a fatherless family following parental separation or divorce. However, children born to single mothers following assisted reproduction have not experienced the adverse factors associated with divorce, although they may be exposed to other pressures that may increase their vulnerability to emotional and behavioral problems. Findings will be presented from a controlled study of women who have had a child through donor insemination (DI) and who are raising that child without a father right from the start.