ABSTRACT
This chapter returns to the questions the research sought to address. First, how do
lone mothers negotiate their lives as mothers and as dependants? Secondly, can
state-dependent lone motherhood be experienced as a liberating experience? Thirdly,
to what extent can the thesis of individualization explain the experience of state-
dependent lone mothers? The chapter then considers some social policy implications
which could increase lone mothers’ choices. Recommendations with regard to paid
employment, education and state benefits derive from specific suggestions made by
interviewees and from conclusions drawn from the findings.
