Abstract
As recently as 1970 about one-fifth of the children living in single-parent households resided in ones created by the death of a father. In colonial and nineteenth-century America, death was a much more important factor in disrupting parent-child relationships than it is today. Past societal reaction to the death of a parent continues to influence social policy; for example, widows and their dependent children receive more public assistance than divorced mothers or single mothers with children born out-of-wedlock. Although the material conditions for widows have improved over time, the social network available to help them cope with the emotional distress caused by the death of a husband probably has diminished.
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Maris Vinovskis is currently studying death and dying in Civil War America. Last year he publishedAn “Epidemic” of Adolescent Pregnancy? Some Historical and Policy Perspectives (Oxford University Press, 1988). In addition to his academic career, he served as the deputy staff director of the U. S. House Select Committee on Population in 1978 and was a consultant to the U. S. Office of Population Affairs from 1981 through 1985.
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Vinovskis, M.A. Death and family life in the past. Human Nature 1, 109–122 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02692148
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02692148