Going Against the Tide. Young Lone Mothers in Italy

This chapter is about young lone mothers (between 13 and 24 years of age) in Italy, a Southern European country where traditional behaviours and family relationships still exist alongside dramatic changes. More specifically, my aim is to discuss the relationship between ‘anomalies’ in the transition process to adulthood and the development of factors of inequality: in this case, the link between poverty and social exclusion and the peculiarities that characterize young lone mothers’ life courses. ¹