ABSTRACT
The late twentieth century has been the age of serial monogamy rather than of life-long partnerships, and it follows that the early part of the twenty first will be an age of sequential or parallel parenthood. On the whole, children brought up by the same two parents from birth to maturity, so long as the relationship between their parents is relatively harmonious, turn out better for themselves and for society than those reared in step families or by single parents of either sex. Present practice embodies an ill-considered acceptance of a family pattern - of paternal provider and maternal home maker - which is itself becoming obsolete. The lack of money, and also of anyone to relieve the resident parent of child minding for a while, greatly reduces the opportunity for many of them to socialise. The chances are that all or nearly all men's acquaintances in the same lone parent predicament will be single mothers.
