Doing It All: The Social Power of Single Motherhood

A feminist exploration of single motherhood and a passionate call to reclaim the power of mothering.

Nearly a quarter of UK families with dependent children are single-parent families, and around 90% of single parents are women. Yet the single mother is still cast as victim or welfare queen, sexually irresponsible or too independent by half.

Tracing a history through Victorian brothels, welfare rights activism and Black feminist traditions of othermothering, Ruby Russell tells a different story: of motherhood defined not by marriage or men, but as a nexus of solidarity beyond the patriarchal status quo.

A personal quest for empowerment, Doing It All is also a fierce critique of the structures that leave single mums marginalised and exhausted - and a call to reclaim mothering as the life force of sustainable, connected and radically responsible communities.

A feminist exploration of single motherhood and a passionate call to reclaim the power of mothering.

Nearly a quarter of UK families with dependent children are single-parent families, and around 90% of single parents are women. Yet the single mother is still cast as victim or welfare queen, sexually irresponsible or too independent by half.

Tracing a history through Victorian brothels, welfare rights activism and Black feminist traditions of othermothering, Ruby Russell tells a different story: of motherhood defined not by marriage or men, but as a nexus of solidarity beyond the patriarchal status quo.

A personal quest for empowerment, Doing It All is also a fierce critique of the structures that leave single mums marginalised and exhausted - and a call to reclaim mothering as the life force of sustainable, connected and radically responsible communities.

• | Author: Ruby Russell
• | Publisher: John Murray Press
• | Publication Date: Feb 29, 2024
• | Number of Pages:
• | Language: eng
• | Binding: Paperback / softback
• | ISBN-13: 9780349702179
• | ISBN-10: 0349702179