The Unmarried Mother: A Study of Twelve Cases Referred for the Placement of a Second Child Born Out-of-Wedlock, St. Mary’s Shelter, the New York Foundling Hospital, New York City, 1960 – 1961
Abstract
The unmarried mother and her child present problems that society has never faced objectively. The woman who bore a child outside of marriage has been the victim of public attitudes and emotions throughout the ages. The way in which she has been condemned by society, although it varied from one culture to another and from one era to another, has been startlingly consistent. The family has come to be regarded as a basic institution in society and as our civilization progressed, society recognized that a stable family unit was necessary to insure security for children and to provide social and cultural continuity from one generation to another. Society, therefore, has always reacted violently to any violation against this basic family pattern. It has been stated that since women have the greater stakes in the protection of the family structure, theirs is the greater responsibility to provide % that protection. Attitudes are expressed by popular opinion in the press, literature and solidified in their expression through legislation. There is presently much concern about illegitimacy in newspapers and magazine articles, and the attitude which is emphatically expressed by the public is that of disapproval and punishment towards the unmarried mother. The unmarried mother, in the eyes of society, is a person who has violated one of the most sacred tenets of our mores. Her urge for a baby has been separated from its normal matrix. The woman expecting a second out-of-wedlock child is, therefore, the victim of more intense feelings of disapproval.
Subject Area
Social research|Individual & family studies|Social work
Recommended Citation
Fuccio, Patricia, "The Unmarried Mother: A Study of Twelve Cases Referred for the Placement of a Second Child Born Out-of-Wedlock, St. Mary’s Shelter, the New York Foundling Hospital, New York City, 1960 – 1961" (1962). ETD Collection for Fordham University. AAI30670840.
https://research.library.fordham.edu/dissertations/AAI30670840
