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Runaway Fathers, Greedy Mothers and the Nuclear Family: An Analysis of Media Conceptions of Single Parents in the Context of the Child Support Agency in Britain

Al-Adhami, Miriam LU (2012) SIMV84 20121
Graduate School
Abstract
The political analysis that followed the eruption of rioting across Britain in 2011 resulted in a broad consensus that single-parent home environments, poor parenting and the lack of heteronormative familial structures were to blame. Little progressive political debate could be found in mainstream media, either about the nature of single-parent familial life, or about co-contributory factors that create instability in home environments. The Child Support Act of 1991 was a key legal instrument in the shaping of policies and perspectives towards single parents and their non-resident counterparts. However, this highly influential piece of legislation, and its operational arm, the Child Support Agency (CSA), received no mention in post-riot... (More)
The political analysis that followed the eruption of rioting across Britain in 2011 resulted in a broad consensus that single-parent home environments, poor parenting and the lack of heteronormative familial structures were to blame. Little progressive political debate could be found in mainstream media, either about the nature of single-parent familial life, or about co-contributory factors that create instability in home environments. The Child Support Act of 1991 was a key legal instrument in the shaping of policies and perspectives towards single parents and their non-resident counterparts. However, this highly influential piece of legislation, and its operational arm, the Child Support Agency (CSA), received no mention in post-riot analyses. This paper conducts a media analysis of the portrayal of parents in relation to the Child Support Agency (the operational arm of the legislation) over the past six years – in the period of time leading up to and just after the riots. Theoretically grounded in feminist economics, the discourse analysis reveals the nature of norms and stereotypes, illustrates how power is unevenly distributed in media coverage of related stories, and demonstrates that the perspectives of fathers and fathers rights groups are broadly privileged over those of mothers, leaving little space for progressive debate on the potential ways that modern familial structures can be supported and supportive, rather than demonised and resisted. (Less)
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author
Al-Adhami, Miriam LU
supervisor
organization
course
SIMV84 20121
year
type
H1 - Master's Degree (One Year)
subject
keywords
Child Support, Single Mothers, Fathers, Parenthood, Britain, Media
language
English
id
3045170
date added to LUP
2012-08-28 08:52:42
date last changed
2012-08-28 08:52:42
@misc{3045170,
  abstract     = {{The political analysis that followed the eruption of rioting across Britain in 2011 resulted in a broad consensus that single-parent home environments, poor parenting and the lack of heteronormative familial structures were to blame. Little progressive political debate could be found in mainstream media, either about the nature of single-parent familial life, or about co-contributory factors that create instability in home environments. The Child Support Act of 1991 was a key legal instrument in the shaping of policies and perspectives towards single parents and their non-resident counterparts. However, this highly influential piece of legislation, and its operational arm, the Child Support Agency (CSA), received no mention in post-riot analyses. This paper conducts a media analysis of the portrayal of parents in relation to the Child Support Agency (the operational arm of the legislation) over the past six years – in the period of time leading up to and just after the riots. Theoretically grounded in feminist economics, the discourse analysis reveals the nature of norms and stereotypes, illustrates how power is unevenly distributed in media coverage of related stories, and demonstrates that the perspectives of fathers and fathers rights groups are broadly privileged over those of mothers, leaving little space for progressive debate on the potential ways that modern familial structures can be supported and supportive, rather than demonised and resisted.}},
  author       = {{Al-Adhami, Miriam}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Runaway Fathers, Greedy Mothers and the Nuclear Family: An Analysis of Media Conceptions of Single Parents in the Context of the Child Support Agency in Britain}},
  year         = {{2012}},
}