It Takes a Village: Disparities in Informal Support among US Single Mothers and Implications for Wellbeing.

Abstract

Western cultures tend to view parenting as a private matter; however, research shows child development is shaped by the joint effort of parents and their broader community of support. This thesis examines to what extent single mothers in the United States have access to informal social support, their “village,” and how disparities in availability of support from different sources are associated with mothers’ health, parenting, and employment. Using longitudinal data from the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study (FFCWS), I analyzed the perceived availability of three key sources of support, namely, the child’s biological father, grandparents, neighbors, and also overall support as a cumulative measure. I focus on data from when the focal child was aged three and five, capturing a period of early childhood known to be especially demanding for mothers. I examined the social determinants of access to support, how perceived support changes over time, and how support networks can shape maternal health, parenting, and employment outcomes. Findings show availability of support is moderately stable over a two-year period, especially from fathers, and that the higher the level of support from the village, the lower the probabilities of negative outcomes. However, informal support is unevenly distributed and strongly shaped by structural inequalities. Overall, my thesis improves understanding of the role of informal support among US single mothers to inform policies and programs designed to help mothers and children.