The Cultural Adjustment of Asian Lone Mothers Living in London

Book excerpt: First published in 1998, this insightful volume aims to explore how 90 Indian and African single mothers in 1993 London resolve the dual challenges of single parenthood and their ethnic origins, along with a comparison with their British counterparts. This is one of only a few studies devoted exclusively to Asian lone mothers in Britain and sheds light on the problems encountered by a group largely ignored by researchers to date. Rachana Sinha establishes the impact of differences in family values on issues of marriage, women’s status and lone parenthood and brings to light some of the mothers’ cultural and psychological adjustments to these values and life in London. The women’s experiences of lone parenthood are shown through their relationships with the father, their family and friends and with contacts with social organizations. Sinha ends the study with suggestions and implications for social policy drawn from her findings.