Mothers with many children and single mothers: Stereotypes and social vulnerability

Abstract

The paper considers social attitudes toward mothers with many children and single mothers. The following methods are used: system approach, comparative analysis, and sociological survey of the population of the Northwestern Federal District conducted by the Institute of Socio-Economic Development of Territories of RAS. The findings of the research help reveal the attitudes of society towards social vulnerability and social exclusion, and the attitudes of the individual as a representative of socially vulnerable groups. It is revealed that mothers with many children and single mothers are faced with two different types of exclusion: active exclusion that emerges as a result of discriminatory practices in society, and passive exclusion that is caused by socio-economic processes. It is revealed that mothers with many children and single mothers do not feel secure from poverty, gender-based oppression, and the arbitrariness of officials. Single mothers often face problems in the labour market: they are denied employment and can lose their job because of their social status. The situation is complicated due to the presence of the role conflict within the group of working mothers, especially - single mothers. The paper shows the pronounced duality of the position: on the one hand, expecting assistance from the government; on the other hand - understanding that the state cannot be relied on and it is necessary to act on one's own to deal with the problem. The paper proves that Russian society is dominated by a paternalistic discourse towards mothers with many children and single mothers, it is combined with social self-justification and indifference. It is planned to continue the research by studying the social status of single mothers and mothers with many children, the attitudes of society towards them, and social stereotypes in employment; qualitative methods will be used for this purpose.