Conclusion

This book has explored how the material constraints that characterize the lives of white single mothers living in a rural Vermont county ordinarily give rise to what I call a “social economy.” Single mothers cannot survive on their own: To meet their acute needs, they draw on the resources of a wide range of individuals that includes members of their extended family, a network of friends, community services, the state, future (and past) partners, and their own children. ¹ Yet, even as they modify the boundaries of family life, single mothers remain attentive to prevailing social norms, especially to those that denigrate the single-parent family and proclaim the necessity of self-sufficiency for all citizens. Single mothers' requests for assistance, whether from family and friends, the state, their own children, or romantic partners, are not only shaped to meet their ongoing needs, but are also designed to avoid condemnation. Only by understanding the whole context within which single mothers construct their daily lives, including their pressing needs and their commitment to social norms, can we understand the choices they make.