Lone motherhood: the impact on living standards of leaving a violent relationship

This paper;presents findings from doctoral research which looked at the soc ial support of women leaving domestic violence. In this paper the focus is on one aspect of that study: the living standards of women who have left a violent relationship. An exploratory, area-based study using in-depth inter views and participant observation with twenty white working-class women exa mined this issue. This exploratory study mabs visible the links between vio lence and living standards. Debts incurred during the violent relationship when women had little if any control over finances, rent arrears incurred a s a result of leaving, when women were temporarily hewed in a refuge or hos tel, and increased housing, travel and communication costs all contributed to the women's experience of poverty. If findings of previous research are correct, that between 20 and 40 per cent of lone parents (overwhelmingly mo thers) experienced domestic violence in their previous relationship, then m ore extensive research in this area is indicated.