Encyclopedias can provide an overview or help you refine a topic and often have lists of further readings.
International encyclopedia of marriage and family Reference - HQ9 .E52 2003 and available online through the Gale Virtual Reference Library
This encyclopedia has entries on "Single-Parent Families" (v. 4, pp. 1515-1523) and "Non Marital Childbearing" (v. 3, pp. 1175-1181).
Parenthood in America: an encyclopedia Reference - HQ 755.8 .P3783 2000
"Single Parent" (v. 2, pp 570-572).
Encyclopedia of family life Reference - HQ 534 .E53 1999
"Single-Parent Families" (v. 4, pp. 1225-1230)
The encyclopedia of marriage, divorce, and the family Reference - HQ 9 .D38 1989
Contains entries on "Single-Parent Adoptions," "Single-Parent by Choice," and "Single-Parent/Lone-Parent Families" on pp. 440-444. Because it dates back to 1989 it provides some insight into changing perceptions regarding single parents.
Moving Forward
Finding books in the Library
To see what books the Library has on this topic, go to the Library’s home page and click on CUNY+, the library’s catalog.
Try a keyword subject search (choose from the dropdown menu on the left) and try these search terms:
Single-parent families
Single fathers
Single mothers
Unmarried fathers
Unmarried mothers
Teenage mothers
Divorced mothers
Divorced fathers
Finding articles using the Library’s subscription databases.
Articles can offer focus and timeliness. Articles from the databases are an excellent source of information when you are writing a college paper. Go to the Library’s home page (http://www.lagcc.cuny.edu/library/) and click on Online Research: Journals & Articles (the black and white icon). From the alphabetical list (tab at top) choose Academic Search Premier. Try these search terms:
Single parents
Single-parent families
Children of single parents
Single mothers
Go to the Library’s home page and click on Online Research: Journals & Articles (the black and white icon). From the alphabetical list (tab at top) choose Opposing Viewpoints.
Search for Single Parents in the database.
Finishing Touches
Statistics
The U.S. Census Bureau (www.census.gov) collects statistics and issues reports. Go to the sight and look in the People & Households section. The reports are especially good because they provide interpretation of the numbers. Living arrangements of Children: 2004 (PDF), issued in February of 2008, is a good source of statistics on family configurations and is broken down by gender and race.
The USDA put out an annual report, Expenditures on Children by Families, which includes numbers for single parent families.
Using the database Academic Search Premier (see above) to search single parents and statistics will retrieve articles which include statistics.
Catherine Stern, updated 9/11/08