ABSTRACT

First published in 1985, Having To summarises the situation of more than a million parents in the UK alone that survive as single parents. This thought-provoking book is based on interviews with more than 200 women and men of all ages and backgrounds. The accounts of what life can be like in the world of one parent families are revealing, sometimes disturbing, and above all, moving. In this book, parents talk in depth about their experiences when confronted by violence, infidelity, lesbianism, child abuse and paranoia. They portray stories that will provoke many questions about the state of the nuclear family.

chapter |27 pages

Introduction: Cages

part |143 pages

Influences

chapter |29 pages

Violence

chapter |35 pages

Infidelity

chapter |28 pages

Abandoned Women

chapter |26 pages

Transformations

chapter |24 pages

Schoolgirl Mothers

part |2 pages

Summary of Part One

part |93 pages

Consequences

chapter |24 pages

Positive Dimensions

chapter |22 pages

Poverty and Isolation

chapter |23 pages

Children

chapter |23 pages

Men Alone

part |15 pages

Summary of Part Two

chapter |13 pages

Conclusion: Captive Freedom