Mothers alone

Dennis Marsden's study Mothers Alone: Poverty and the Fatherless Family, 1955-1966, also known as Fatherless Families, was carried out in 1965-1966. The study explores the lives and experiences of mothers living alone: unmarried, separated, divorced or widowed. The study posed two questions: what is poverty and who are the fatherless? The study asked about housing conditions, homelessness, diet and nutrition, family relations, marriage and marital breakdowns, and the levels and adequacy of community and national assistance. The interviewees were asked about detailed indicators of poverty and also the subjective, felt experience of poverty. The study examined problems families faced as a consequence of both low income and lack of fathers, the causes of their circumstances, and the adequacy of assistance provided by community and national sources. The study was developed from a pilot study done for a larger project, 'Poverty in the UK', by Peter Townsend.