To Örebro University

Research on the relationship between lone motherhood and social class is indeed limited. Drawing on 39 in-depth interviews, the overall aim of this article is to increase knowledge of the ways that working conditions and access to economic resources impact on Swedish lone mothers’ opportunities to integrate paid work and family. One assumption is that lone mothers are guided by culturally shaped ideas about the proper way to be a mother, and that variance between mothers’ notions of good mothering and the means for their realization, i.e. sociological ambivalence, may give rise to conflicts and dilemmas. Results show that low incomes, non-standard hours and temporary employment reduced working-class mothers’ prospects of practising the kind of mothering they considered proper, creating dilemmas and high levels of conflict. Mothers could not always effectively use the rights granted to parents by the Swedish welfare state. The variances between notions about good mothering and the means for realizing them were not as big for middle-class mothers, thanks to greater access to economic capital and flexible working hours. Different opportunity structures hence significantly influenced lone mothers’ opportunity to combine paid work and caring commitments in ways they found appropriate.

Research suggests that compared with working-class parents, middle-class parents more commonly enrol their children in organised activities with the aim of increasing their prospects of future success in education and working life.  Organised activities are seen as an important contribution to the reproduction of social class. Most of previous studies originate from the UK and the US. Drawing on a Bourdieusian understanding of social class, this study contributes to the discussion by exploring class-based reasoning about extracurricular activities among Swedish parents. As a ‘social-democratic welfare regime’, Sweden provides a markedly different institutional and social context than is usually found in the literature. In the present study, interviews with 37 working-class and middle-class parents are qualitatively analysed. Findings show similarities in parents’ reasoning, indicating that Swedish parenting culture and childrearing ideals partly cross class boundaries. They also suggest, however, that the middle-class parents typically regarded extracurricular activities as more important, and enrolled their children in more activities, than the working-class parents. One group of working-class parents did not enrol their children in extracurricular activities. The contradiction between similarities emanating from dominant national cultural understandings of parenting and childrearing and dissimilarities based on class-culture socialisation is explored in this article. One tentative conclusion is that working-class parents’ lower participation levels is not only explained by cultural and financial resources, but also by limited control over working hours.

Research suggests that single mothers are an increasingly vulnerable group in Scandinavia. Drawing on in-depth interviews, this study takes a closer look at challenges faced by Swedish working-class and low-income single mothers. It explores how working conditions and economic resources influence their access to valued practices, such as the possibility to reconcile paid work and family commitments. It is assumed that discrepancies between mothers’ notions of good mothering and their ability to act in accordance with these values give rise to conflicts and dilemmas. Findings show that lack of financial resources and low control over their work situation significantly limited the mothers’ possibility to combine various responsibilities and to practice the kind of mothering they preferred. Furthermore, the opening hours of preschools frequently did not match the mothers’ working schedules, and they could often not effectively benefit from some of the social rights granted by the Swedish welfare state.

Lone mothers are an increasingly vulnerable group in Sweden. Mothers with less education are particularly at risk. This short paper discusses some findings from a study exploring low-income lone mothers’ possibility to reconcile paid work with family commitments. Results show that a lack of financial resources significantly limited the mothers’ possibility to combine various responsibilities and practice the kind of mothering they preferred. This conflict between aspirations and access to means for their realization engendered dilemmas and feelings of inadequacy. 

Statistics suggest that lone mother families have become an increasingly vulnerable group in Sweden. Their standard of living is low compared to other families. The numbers who are on non-permanent employment contracts or unemployed have increased. Mothers with a lower education are particularly exposed. We have conducted a qualitative study with 39 Swedish lone mothers with different occupational and social backgrounds. This paper takes a deeper look at challenges faced by 16 working-class and low-income lone mothers. The aim is to provide a better understanding of the ways in which working conditions and economic resources impact on mothers’ opportunities to balance paid work and family. Mothers are seen as actors whose conduct is guided by cultural ideas about the right and proper way to be a mother and worker. Thematic analysis was used explore themes in the data. Results show that disjunctions between aspirations and access to means for their realization gave rise to conflicts and dilemmas. It also fostered feelings of guilt and shame. Lack of financial resources resulted in a sense of relative deprivation and significantly limited mothers’ opportunities to practice the kind of mothering they preferred. Facing the money–care dilemma, mothers could not effectively use some of the rights granted to Swedish parents, i.e. to reduce working hours and stay at home with sick children. To provide for the family they had to spend long hours at work, meaning less time to devote to their children. Inflexible jobs, nonstandard hours and temporary employment aggravated conflicts.