ABSTRACT
This chapter argues that the discursive categories 'lone parent' and 'the rural' have been constructed in such a way as to obscure rural lone parenthood as a recognizable problem. Whilst the emphasis on hidden others has produced some excellent research on the experiences of some social groups whose lives have been neglected within mainstream rural studies, the work has failed to explore the experiences of lone parents. The chapter explores the ways in which the lived realities of lone parents are not only highly dependent on their social circumstances, but also on their spatial contexts. While there are fewer lone parents in rural areas compared to urban areas, the social surveillance which ensues in settlements of smaller size inevitably shines a very public light on the experiences of lone parents in rural communities. It would seem from the viewpoints and opinions expressed during the interviews that the visibility experienced by lone parents, in fact contributes to their invisibility.
