Research project Depression, alcoholism and drug abuse, suicide, or simply a general feeling of failure are some of the effects single mothers have on their sons, according to some American advice books. This project analyses a subcategory of self-help books, aimed specifically at single mothers raising sons. Why is she so dangerous? What advice is she given? For what purpose? And where is the father in all this?
This project analyses American advice books aimed at single mothers raising sons, with a focus on gender, class and ethnicity. The basic premise of all the books is that a woman can’t raise a boy to be a man, but the authors use different strategies, and highlight different problem areas, depending on the class and ethnicity of the target audience.
This project analyses a large number of advice and self-help books published between 2001 and 2020 by authors of different backgrounds and motivations – from psychologists, sociologists and social workers to pastors, youth leaders and motivational speakers – in order to establish how they represent single mothers, their interactions with their sons, and what role fathers play.
A recurring theme in most of the books is the importance of identifying and maintaining gender differences between mothers and sons, between mothers and fathers and between boys and girls. Using sociologist Barrie Thorne’s (1993) theories on borderwork as a jumping off point, the project studies how the authors, often using anecdotal evidence and referring to “common sense,” maintain that women can’t raise boys to men. In this context, masculinity becomes a central issue: what kind of masculinity is acceptable for young boys and why can only men teach it?
Even if the purported goal, to support single mothers in their supposedly impossible task, is the same across all the books, content, language and approach vary depending on the ethnicity and class of the intended readers. Therefore, the project uses an intersectional approach, making visible the varying demands and expectations placed on middle and working class, White and African American mothers. What the books all have in common, however, is a neoliberal approach, where all responsibility is placed on the individual – socioeconomic factors are rarely taken into account.
The books are aimed at mothers who feel inadequate, but fathers play a central role. The ideal family that is presented as a goal is the heterosexual, traditional family with the father as head and breadwinner. Fathers are depicted as a guarantee that sons will grow up to be good citizens who hold doors open for women
Analysing American Advice Books for Single Mothers Raising Sons
