It takes a community to raise a child : income support programs and lone mothers

• Main Author: Blown, Suzanne Carys
• Format: Others
• Language: English
• Published: 2009
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/2429/15447

This thesis employs a comparative framework for examining two different approaches to income support for lone mothers: the current British Columbia (BC) model and the current Swedish model. The two models are based within their respective traditions of the welfare state. Each approach represents a distinctive response to the prevalent economic vulnerability of lone mothers. In order to compare the models, I pose questions related to feminization of poverty, to tensions between worker and parent roles, and to notions of citizenship. Drawing on lessons learned from the BC and Swedish model, this thesis then explores an alternative, community development approach that incorporates principles of social justice and ecological sustainability in the goal of economic security for lone mothers. Lastly, I offer conclusions and planning implications. === Applied Science, Faculty of === Community and Regional Planning (SCARP), School of === Graduate