Lone motherhood in place and time: lived experiences in Easterhouse, Glasgow, since the 1980s. A qualitative study into life-course experiences of lone mothers in Easterhouse since the 1980s and the significance of female social networks for ‘getting by’ and ‘getting on’ through challenges associated with gender, place, poverty and lone motherhood

Ross, Mhairi-Jean (2024) Lone motherhood in place and time: lived experiences in Easterhouse, Glasgow, since the 1980s. A qualitative study into life-course experiences of lone mothers in Easterhouse since the 1980s and the significance of female social networks for ‘getting by’ and ‘getting on’ through challenges associated with gender, place, poverty and lone motherhood. PhD thesis, University of Glasgow.

Abstract

Easterhouse in Glasgow is amongst the most persistently deprived housing estates in Europe. During the 1980s it saw a threefold increase in lone-mother households and their proportion has since remained significantly above the Glasgow average. This thesis explores lone mothers’ experiences of poverty in Easterhouse between 1980 and 2021 and investigates their use of female social networks to ‘get by’ and ‘get on’ through the challenges associated with gender, place, poverty and lone motherhood.

The research comprised thirty semi-structured repeat interviews, assisted by photo elicitation, designed to capture the adult life-course experiences of ten lone mothers in Easterhouse since the 1980s. Interview transcripts were analysed in NVivo using thematic methods to make links between the women’s accounts, the problems posed within the research questions, and key themes of social and economic change from the 1980s to present day.

The research found unexpectedly that all of the women had entered lone motherhood as a result of abuse by men. It explored how localised female social networks provided important instrumental, emotional and financial support during the transition to lone motherhood and beyond into the middle stages of life-course, which allowed lone mothers to ‘get by’. Yet, female networks could often hinder women’s efforts to ‘get on’. In later life, participants continued to be almost solely reliant on female networks, but these took on a new, cathartic role in helping the women navigate the emotional damage of lives characterised by persistent trauma.

The study illuminates hidden histories of lone motherhood and concludes that Easterhouse is a place where women have been subjected to violent masculinities, with lasting impacts on their wellbeing and network engagement. It contributes understanding about how structural oppression within a particularly disadvantaged setting has influenced women’s journeys into lone motherhood and their lives beyond. The study also generates new insights into older women’s conceptions of ‘getting on’, the meaning of lives well lived in persistently deprived contexts and the importance of internal resources in overcoming challenges through time.

• Item Type: Thesis (PhD)
• Additional Information: Supported by funding from the College of Social Sciences, University of Glasgow, the Centre for Collaborative Housing Evidence, and Funds for Women Graduates.
• Subjects: H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General); H Social Sciences > HC Economic History and Conditions; H Social Sciences > HN Social history and conditions. Social problems. Social reform; H Social Sciences > HQ The family. Marriage. Woman
• Colleges/Schools: College of Social Sciences > School of Social and Political Sciences
• Supervisor's Name: Kintrea, Professor Keith and Hastings, Professor Annette
• Date of Award: 2024
• Depositing User: Theses Team
• Unique ID: glathesis:2024-84450
• Copyright: Copyright of this thesis is held by the author.
• Date Deposited: 08 Jul 2024 13:43
• Last Modified: 08 Jul 2024 13:43
• Thesis DOI: 10.5525/gla.thesis.84450
• URI: https://theses.gla.ac.uk/id/eprint/84450