Ridgway, Emma (2014) Broken homes and 'men deserts': A critical discourse analysis exploring news media constructions of single motherhood in the UK. Manchester Metropolitan University. (Unpublished)
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Abstract
Single motherhood is a topic that has concerned social scientists and the media for decades, due to research suggesting children growing up without their father's involvement are at risk of various negative behavioural and developmental outcomes. Prevalent social discourses construct what the 'good mother' should be in line with empirical evidence, traditional values and/or religion, while mothers who fail to meet these standards are viewed as deviant, and stigmatised as a consequence. This research project used critical discourse analysis to explore how single mothers are constructed in contemporary UK news media, in order to establish whether marginalisation is taking place as past analyses have concluded. The four interpretative repertoires identified within the articles corroborated previous research findings, with frequent reference to the idealistic nuclear family, welfare dependency, familial breakdown, and mothers' justifications for their circumstances. These findings suggest that single motherhood is indeed still a contentious issue, and the media plays a key role in reproducing - and resisting - dominant ideologies and attitudes.
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