Acknowledgments Introduction 1. One Thing Leads to Another 2. Thank You, Jesus 3. The Stupid Shit 4. Ward Cleaver 5. Sesame Street Mornings 6. Fight or Flight 7. Try, Try Again 8. The New Package Deal Appendix Notes References Index

This study examines factors underlying single mothers’ stress in an African slum. Using survey data from 1,221 mothers in a Kenyan informal settlement, this study examines 1) whether single mothers experience more stress due to their demographic and socioeconomic characteristics; 2) whether financial and child care support from kin offsets limited support from fathers; and 3) whether variation in the type and source of support explains stress differentials across marital status. The results suggest that lower socioeconomic status does not explain single mothers’ elevated stress. Rather, despite receiving greater assistance with child care and financial support from kin, single mothers receive substantially less support of either kind from the child’s father. These differences in support, particularly financial assistance, account for single mothers’ elevated stress. These findings highlight the comparatively weak social support available for single mothers residing in precarious urban environments and its importance for their psychological well-being.

Doing the best I can : fatherhood in the inner city

Single Motherhood and Stress in a Kenyan Slum: The Importance of Paternal and Kin Support

Existing research points towards an overall intensification of parenting expectations including newer expectations for fathers’ involvement in caregiving. At the same time, the ideal worker norm persists, and employers continue to expect men’s full and uninterrupted work commitment. This article explores what these competing expectations attached to work and parenting mean for single fathers. To do so, the article draws on 30 in-depth interviews with a sample of working single fathers with primary caregiving responsibility in the United States and differentiates between those with white- and blue-collar jobs. The study finds that both white- and blue-collar single fathers prioritize caregiving and resist the ideal worker norm and, as a result, experience work–family conflict. Resolving this conflict becomes single fathers’ individual responsibility, and the resources to resolve it are primarily available to white-collar men in the form of understanding supervisors and access to workplace flexibility. Blue-collar single fathers need to be more creative and resourceful in reconciling their caregiving and breadwinning roles. Inability to resolve work–family conflict can lead to job penalties such as reduced income and/or a job loss, which are found across different job types. 

Doing the best I can : fatherhood in the inner city

Citations

Single Motherhood and Stress in a Kenyan Slum: The Importance of Paternal and Kin Support

Single fathers and work–family conflict in white- and blue-collar jobs

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