Lone Mothers, Paid Work and Gendered Moral Rationalities

Duncan (comparative social policy, U. of Bradford, UK) and Edwards (social policy, South Bank U., UK) analyze how single mothers in England negotiate the relationship between motherhood and paid work in order to determine why British single mothers are less likely to be in paid work than in most other countries, and whether or not the policy of welfare to work is actually the best response. They critique conventional economic accounts of decision-making, and provide an alternative (gendered moral rationality), which they suggest can better account for single mothers' labor market behavior. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)