Whitney
The Bright SideGutierrez received $500 a month for three years, allowing her to leave a toxic relationship and care for her newborn. "I could buy whatever food I wanted for my kid," she reflected on the relief that financial stability brought. #SingleMoms #FinancialFreedom
Parenting PatchMore women are choosing to have babies on their own. Here's why they're doing it and some considerations for women considering the same path.
#SingleMoms #SingleMothersbyChoice #FamilyPlanning #Family #Parenting #IVF
Parenting PatchMore women are choosing to have babies on their own. Here's why they're doing it and some considerations for women considering the same path.
#SingleMoms #SingleMothersbyChoice #FamilyPlanning #Family #Parenting #IVF
Bryonyhttps://www.instagram.com/p/C7_bZ57MDEP/
#cleethorpes #cleethorpesbeach #daysoutuk #beachtrip #magicalcastle #boatinglake #sandytoes #singlemoms #singleparents #eatingoutwithkids #mcdonalds #familytime❤️ #familytravel #lincolnshirelife #visitcleethorpes #yourblendedfamily #parentblog #thingstodolincolnshire #lincolnbloggersuk #rurallife #activeliving #activemom #happykidshappylife #freshairclub #freshairchild #motherhoodisdarling #parenthoodmoments #tiredmumsclub #curatedlife #childhoodwonders
Lifestyle | Foodie | Family | Bryony on Instagram: "Intention - tiring out the kids. Result - tiring out me. Can never go wrong with a beach, McDonald's and play area day though 🤌"
bryonyannie on June 9, 2024: "Intention - tiring out the kids. Result - tiring out me. Can never go wrong with a beach, McDonald's and play area day though 🤌".
Mel Claribelhttps://www.instagram.com/p/CzVg6DqMChn/?igshid=MWYzMXVsZHBraDNyaA==
#October #spookyseason🎃 #awarenessday #autumncolors #autumnmood #mummyphotoaday #bryonyannie #fallvibes #thefamilynarrative #ukmums #parenthoodvibes #parenthoodshared #cosyliving #fallaesthetic #autumndecor #lincolnshirefamily #hyggehygge #homeaccountuk #capturethemagic #wildandfreechildren #countrylife #ruralengland #workingmama #singlemoms #firephotography #searchwandercollect #ouroutdoorlife #british_adventure #fallstyle #halloweeneveryday
Laura Manach 
Being a single mom is not easy, and the scrutiny that single mothers face can be incredibly unjust.
My son was put into foster care. But what I find even more heart-wrenching is that so many children from married families are out on the streets, struggling, and yet no one says anything about it.
🚸 We need to break the stigma and challenge the unfair judgments that single moms face, regardless of their family structure. 💕
spooksie 👻#Culture #CulturalAnthropology #CulturalStudies #gender #SingleMoms #Family #PurityCulture
the situation in korea seems to be equally abysmal in terms of cultural acceptance and support of single moms.
here's a video by canadian expats living in korea, with many stats and some stories: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0SyJpn5Fp8
here's a video by the news channel "asian boss" about being a single mom in korea: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZh_eTRWCMs
korean documentary profiling a charity called "babybox": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzEvYW93MOw
al jazeera documentary about single moms in korea: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLktjU7P8Bw
the screenshots below are from the al jazeera documentary. the mom is talking about how jobs wouldn't want to hire her if they learned she was a single mom. she says: "since i didn't take proper steps in life, i'm considered problematic. to put it bluntly, i'm dirty. that's how it is. i am lucky to qualify for $120 a month in government aid. some single mums only receive about $70." here, she brings up similar issues about conformity that the japan youtuber brought up about japan: anything that marks you as "different" makes you a "problem", especially if you deviated from norms in an "irresponsible" way. and she also brings up purity culture when she says "to put it bluntly, i'm dirty" (in the eyes of the employer). which is huge huge huge huge and common across many cultures.
another issue that makes being a single mom in japan & korea so tough is that babies are registered with the government not as individuals, but on a family registry. that registry includes divorces with a big fat red X as well. it goes back multiple generations, and as they discuss in the babybox documentary, many babies are given up for adoption because the family doesn't want a father-less baby on the family registry. i don't know if china or other countries also have this family registry system, but it definitely seems like one of those ways that the concept of "family" is weaponized against any perceived "deviants" from the rules for what a family should be. it would be good for me to learn more about the history of the family registry system - where, when, and how it came about.
anyway, it may not surprise you that i have some strong thoughts about the concept of "family" as well. and let us remember that some of the most important critiques of "The Family" come from feminist scholarship, going way way back. because, as many women know, doing things "for the family" or "because of the family" is a major way that women get put down and kept in line. (ask me about the things i've been pressured to do "for the family"...go ahead...ask... 💀)
anyway, if you're sensitive to these issues, please consider not watching the videos because it's a severely awful situation.
Single Mothers in Korea
#Culture #CulturalAnthropology #CulturalStudies #gender #SingleMoms #conformity
do y'all like youtube cultural studies as much as i do? i especially like the "cross-cultural explanation" genre where people who are fluent in multiple languages help bridge the gap in understanding about what a place or people are like. a lot of them veer into the "what you should know if you're going to date a russian girl!" arena, but some are very nice.
this particular channel is run by a japanese returnee (someone who was born in japan, grew up or spent time in another country, and then returned to japan). he makes english language material about japan.
this is a video about conformity in japan (a major interest for me because i was also badgered by conformity pressures growing up, but from the old school eastern european direction. for me, conformity is one of those cultural values like gender norms or racism that i just cannot stand because of how much it has been weaponized against people and how little sense it makes to me).
https://youtu.be/GwGDM9knTcw?t=467
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my commentary:
i'm not sure how much i buy his natural determinist arguments that because japan has a higher share of natural disasters compared to its land area, it was imperative for everyone to work together and so anyone who was lazing about and not helping ("being different") was a huge detriment to the village, etc. i'm not into most forms of natural determinism, so eh.
i like his historical analysis more, where he talks about social structure in the edo period. but i'm ignorant of this history so i have no way to judge whether this makes sense or not.
from a cultural perspective, the part that was most mind-bending was the idea that a single mom is "troubling others" and so is to be shunned. i'm still wrapping my head around that one.
basically his argument is that the #1 cultural priority in japanese culture is to not trouble anyone else more than you absolutely have to. he talks about how it's the #1 thing kids are taught and it's framed as "being considerate to others."
i don't know if it really is the #1 priority, but under that frame (and with the general pressures of conformity), a single mom creates a burden on others because she can't support herself and doesn't have a husband who would support her (which is only a reality because of how strict things are in japan wrt the work culture & gender divide, right?).
in that worldview, *choosing* to become a single mom is like "ho ho, i'll just have ~other people~ solve my problems for me. here's another mouth to feed!"
i guess that's pretty similar to the "welfare queen" logic. but i guess it also applies at the family scale, not just at the societal scale.
maybe i'm just used to massive cultural diversity where some families might kick out a teen gal who comes home pregnant, but other families would be like "well, guess we're about to have another baby to welcome to the world!"
but yea, to call a woman who has a child without having a father locked-in as "selfish"....that starts sending me into pure rage.
especially when you consider all the ways that an unmarried person might become pregnant..
or the fact that even if you *do* get pregnant with a husband and do "everything right", half the time he'll leave you anyway! or be abusive and so even worse to have in the house... with some men, you can't get them to leave even if you want them to. (and that, my friends, is the premise of the 90s comedy "practical magic.")
yea, it makes my heart rate increase in the bad way...the way where i start to think about whether my daggers have been sharpened lately. (full disclosure: they are imaginary daggers.)
maybe i'm a little sensitive on this subject because i've known many single moms. and last i checked, pretty much every single one of them wanted the best for their child and in order to provide that, they do things that other people could never imagine themselves doing. which, in my mind, is about as selfless as it gets.
in conclusion, down with conformity. hate it!