The content of mother stereotypes

Negative Perceptions of Never-Married Custodial Single Mothers and Fathers: Applications of a Gender Analysis for Family Therapists

“…In addition to these findings Ganong et al (1988) also documented negative descriptions of single mothers' morals, which included having "unconventional" attitudes and being "liberal and promiscuous" (p. 338). These results are consistent with more recent research that finds that single mothers are viewed more negatively than other groups of parents (Bennett & Jamieson, 1999;Ganong & Coleman, 1995;Rhodes & Johnson, 2000).…”

“…In particular, researchers have found the negative attributes assigned to single mothers include being unhappy, deviant, troubled, and having poor child rearing abilities (Ganong & Coleman, 1995;Ganong, Coleman, & Riley, 1988;Jarrett, 1994Jarrett, , 1996. In addition to these findings Ganong et al (1988) also documented negative descriptions of single mothers' morals, which included having "unconventional" attitudes and being "liberal and promiscuous" (p. 338).…”

“…In addition to never-married single mothers being viewed with highly negative stereotypes, never-married mothers were also viewed as having very few positive characteristics, and were additionally stereotyped as living below the poverty level, with little hope for the future. Ganong and Coleman (1995) also noted the tendency for never-married single mothers to be perceived as having more negative characteristics that can lead social service programs to implement more restrictive and punitive policies as opposed to more supportive policies or programs. This reflection has important implications for family therapists, who could also be influenced by these negative societal perceptions to treat their clients who are single mothers with less flexibility in regards to agency policies and procedures (e.g., no show policy) and/or structure therapy in a way that supports these negative biases.…”

“…In particular, Ganong and Coleman (1995) surveyed undergraduate students about the characteristics of four types of mothers (i.e., married, stepmothers, divorced, and never-married), and found that stereotypes of married mothers contained nearly all positive characteristics (e.g., "forgiving, protective, warm, and caring"), while stereotypes of never-married single mothers held the strongest negative characteristics (e.g., "unpleasant, poor child rearing abilities, and failures in marriage") (p. 508). In addition to never-married single mothers being viewed with highly negative stereotypes, never-married mothers were also viewed as having very few positive characteristics, and were additionally stereotyped as living below the poverty level, with little hope for the future.…”

Maternal parenting in single and two-parent families in South Africa from a child's perspective

“…Single mothers are stereotypically described as deviant, with married mothers perceived as the "standard" against which other mothers, for example, never married, widowed, or divorced mothers, are rated (Ganong & Colman, 1995;Johnson, 2003). In addition, single mothers are considered to create dysfunctional children and families (Matlin, 2000;O'Barr, Pope, & Wyer, 1990;Phoenix & Woollett, 1991;Ribbens, 1994;Richardson, 1993).…”