The Influence of Parental Gender and Custodial Status on Perceptual Stigmatization

Abstract

Although a substantial number of mothers do not have physical custody of their minor children, little research has been conducted on this population. In qualitative studies, non-custodial mothers often report being stigmatized. The current study compared perceptions of mothers without custody to those of mothers with custody as well as toward fathers with and without custody. It was expected that non-custodial mothers would be evaluated more negatively than custodial mothers and more negatively than fathers, with or without custody. Based on exploratory hypotheses, it also was expected that non-custodial mothers would be especially stigmatized when the non-custodial child was young or female. None of the hypotheses was supported. The only significant finding was that non-custodial parents were evaluated more negatively than custodial parents.