Single Motherhood Sociology

My research focuses on the ways in which gender, race, and class status intersect and overlap with family construct. More specifically, I am interested in identifying how structural and institutionalized forces influence the way single mothers discern, respond to, and navigate family life. My previously published research investigates the relationship between welfare participation and social capital, as well as the influence of religiosity on marriage after a non-marital birth. I approach this work by drawing on feminist theories that challenge traditional notions of structure, agency, family, and motherhood.

Single Motherhood and Higher Education

Data derived from the Center for Educational Statistics indicates that single mothers are increasingly

Analysis of 30 in-depth interviews with single mother students, situated in diverse institutional settings, revealed four overarching categories of support: institutional, family, community, and peer networks. The presence and efficacy of these resources is contextualized by age, marital history, socioeconomic background, first generation status, and institution type. Race and ethnic status also influence access and use of social capital, particularly for Latina students. However, no matter the context, as single mother students matriculate through their programs, they acquire the self-efficacy and social capital building skills required to persist in school. These findings indicate that early, context driven intervention and social capital building efforts are key to getting single mothers in college through to graduation day.

My commitment to conducting this advocacy-oriented feminist research lies in my belief that educational inclusion for all students in marginalized positions must be a priority, as it addresses the conditions of growing inequality during a period of profound economic and sociopolitical change. I anticipate that I will begin a conversation about the larger issues of student diversity, access, support, and the changing roles and functions

Douglas Wilder School of Public Policy, and 2) at George Mason University in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology. At Virginia Commonwealth University, I engaged in course work that focused on policy, governance, and quantitative research methods. At George Mason University, I was exposed to critical theoretical analysis and ethnographic pedagogies. The benefit of this contrast is evidenced in my approach to research, as I successfully employ both inductive and deductive strategies in order to “be able to give voice to diverse perspectives, better advocate for participants, …and understand a phenomenon or process that is changing as a result of being studied” (Creswell 2003; 216). As such, my research proceeds with the assumption that multiple and independent measures, if they reach the same conclusions, provide a more certain portrayal of the phenomenon of focus through triangulation of the data (Jick 1979). This “multiple operationism” (Campbell and Fiske 1959) avoids the possibility of missing additional information that may elude survey instruments and interview