ABSTRACT
Single parenthood is chiefly a phenomenon of women in charge of families with dependent children. Their status is the result of absence of the spouse due to separation, divorce, desertion, or death and, in the case of young mothers, often because they have never married. Adolescent pregnancy and childbearing are not new phenomena by any means, and are not characteristic of most teenagers. However, some current social and demographic conditions combine to create heightened visibility of these issues.
