The purpose of this study was to examine how the social construction of society's accepted knowledge about low-income single mothers has had the power to shape and influence the day to day lives of mothers as they parent alone.

Design

Experiential analysis was the methodology used to guide the research. It provided a framework that included feminist assumptions, and it was influenced by the work of Dorothy Smith and Michel Foucault. Central to the theme of this study was the explanation of the relationship between knowledge development and the dimensions of language, meaning, subjectivity and power.

Sample

Data was collected using three parts which included: six interviews of low-income mothers, the existing literature about parenting, mothers, poverty, knowledge development and reflexivity, and a personal journal.

Conclusions

Analysis of the interviews revealed that the mothers were aware of the societal structures that have influenced their lives. The awareness pushed them to survive and resist the dominant societal perceptions of them as low-income single mothers. Resulting from the mothers' resistance is a Model for Peaceful Parenting, based upon the social construction of the mothers' lived experiences.

Implications

Strategies for policy development that move away from the dominant knowledge that has shaped low-income single mothers' lives are suggested. Implications for research teams, educators and frontline workers include using this study as a knowledge base for strategies that link the understanding of living and the potential for action.

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Sigma Theta Tau International
July 22-24, 2004