PROGRAMS
Gender, Family, and Development

Families in Focus: New Perspectives on Mothers,
Fathers, and Children
by Judith Bruce, Cynthia B. Lloyd, and Ann Leonard
with Patrice L. Engle and Niev Duffy

This Population Council report shows that, in rich and poor countries alike, parent–child bonds are unraveling and that women carry much more significant economic and social responsibilities for the family than commonly believed. The authors of this book urge policymakers and researchers to focus on strengthening parent–child ties and to look beyond the myth that all families are stable and cohesive units in which the father serves as economic provider, the mother serves as emotional caregiver, and all children are treated equally and well. The publication also address the implications of findings such as:

• There is a striking increase of households headed by women in many developing countries, and in single-parent families (mostly mothers) in developed countries;
• Global levels of marital dissolution are actually much higher than commonly believed, through rising rates of abandonment, separation, divorce, or death of a spouse;
• Children in single-parent households are much more likely to be poor than those who live with two parents, largely because of the loss of economic support from absent fathers.

Contents

1. Families in Transition
2. The Economics of Motherhood
3. Fathers as Parenting Partners
4. Familial Risk Factors for Children
5. Family Policy: Supporting the Parent–Child Link

Population Council, Office of Publications, One Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, New York, NY 10017; USA telephone: +1 212 339 0514; fax: +1 212 755 6052; e-mail: publications@popcouncil.org.

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This page updated 11 July 2005

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