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Lone Motherhood: the Impact on Living Standards of Leaving a Violent Relationship
Author(s) -
Wilcox Paula
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
social policy and administration
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.972
H-Index - 63
eISSN - 1467-9515
pISSN - 0144-5596
DOI - 10.1111/1467-9515.00184
Subject(s) - arrears , exploratory research , domestic violence , poverty , psychology , participant observation , standard of living , social psychology , socioeconomics , criminology , sociology , debt , political science , poison control , suicide prevention , economic growth , economics , medicine , environmental health , finance , anthropology , law
This paper presents findings from doctoral research which looked at the social support of women leaving domestic violence. In this paper the focus is on one aspect of that study: the living standards of women who have left a violent relationship. An exploratory, area‐based study using in‐depth interviews and participant observation with twenty white working‐class women examinedthis issue. This exploratory study makes visible the links between violence and living standards. Debts incurred during the violent relationship when women had little if any control over finances, rent arrears incurred as a result of leaving, when women were temporarily housed in a refuge or hostel, and increased housing, travel and communication costs all contributed to the women'sexperience of poverty. If findings of previous research are correct, that between 20 and 40 per cent of lone parents (overwhelmingly mothers) experienced domestic violence in their previous relation‐ship, then more extensive research in this area is indicated.