Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-j824f Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-14T19:12:25.906Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Poor Mothers and Lonely Single Males: The ‘Essentially’ Excluded Women and Men of Australia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 September 2012

Roger Patulny  and
Melissa Wong
Roger Patulny
Affiliation:
School of Social Sciences, Media and Communication, University of Wollongong E-mail: rpatulny@uow.edu.au
Melissa Wong
Affiliation:
Social Policy Research Centre, University of New South Wales E-mail: melissa.wong@unsw.edu.au
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

It is unclear how much gendered social exclusion and disconnection reflects a problem or a preference. Women may prefer market-disengagement despite the risk of exclusion from ‘normal’ social activities through financial incapacity, and men may prefer market-engagement despite the risk of disconnection from informal social networks. This article examines these issues amongst Australian men and women. It finds women, particularly single and low-income mothers, are more socially excluded, and men, particularly single middle-aged men, are the most socially disconnected, after preferences. Future policy should be cognisant of contact preferences, intra-household support dynamics, long work hours and prevailing gender norms.

Keywords

Social exclusionsocial disconnectiongendernecessityincomemarital statusageing
Type
Articles
Information
Social Policy and Society , Volume 12 , Issue 2 , April 2013 , pp. 221 - 239
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2012

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Australian Social Inclusion Board (2009) Social Inclusion: A Compendium of Social Inclusion Indicators – How Is Australia Faring?, Canberra: Australian Government.Google Scholar
Barker, G. T. (2005) Dying to be Men: Youth, Masculinity and Social Exclusion, New York: Routledge.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Baxter, J. and Hewitt, B. (2011) ‘Relationship transitions and subjective wellbeing: a longitudinal analysis’, paper prepared for the HILDA Survey 10th Anniversary Research Conference 2011, University of Melbourne, 14–15 July.Google Scholar
Boon, B. and Farnsworth, J. (2011) ‘Social exclusion and poverty: translating social resources into accessible resources’, Social Policy and Administration, 45, 5, 507–24.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bourdieu, P. (1986) ‘The forms of capital’, in Richardson, J. (ed.), Theory and Research in the Sociology of Education, New York: Greenwood Press, pp. 241–58.Google Scholar
Bradshaw, J., Levitas, R. and Finch, N. (2000) ‘Lone parents, poverty and social exclusion’, PSE Working Paper no. 11, Bristol: University of Bristol, Centre for Research in Social Policy.Google Scholar
Burchardt, T., Le Grand, J. and Pichaud, D. (1999) ‘Social exclusion in Britain 1991–1995’, Social Policy and Administration, 33, 3, 27–44.Google Scholar
Cattan, M., White, M., Bond, J. and Learmouth, A. (2005) ‘Preventing social isolation and loneliness among older people: a systematic review of health promotion interventions’, Aging and Society, 25, 1, 41–67.Google Scholar
Cherry, R. (2007) ‘Gender and aging’, in Borowski, A., Encel, S. and Ozanne, E. (eds.), Longevity and Social Change in Australia, Sydney: University of New South Wales Press, pp. 99–116.Google Scholar
Coleman, J. S. (1990) Foundations of Social Theory, Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.Google Scholar
Collery, H. (2002) ‘Engagement mentoring for “disaffected” youth: a new model of mentoring for social inclusion’, British Educational Research Journal, 29, 4, 521–42.Google Scholar
Connell, R. (2009) Gender: In World Perspective, Cambridge: Polity Press.Google Scholar
Craig, L. and Mullan, K. (2009) ‘The policeman and the part-time sales assistant: household labour supply, family time and subjective time pressure in Australia, 1997–2006’, Journal of Comparative Family Studies, 40, 4, 545–60.Google Scholar
De Vaus, D., Gray, M., Qu, L. and Stanton, D. (2009) ‘The effect of relationship breakdown on income and social exclusion’, Paper presented to the Australian Social Policy Conference, University of New South Wales, Sydney, 8 July.Google Scholar
Department of Social Security (1999) Opportunity for All: Tackling Poverty and Social Exclusion, First Annual Report, Cm 4445, London: Department of Social Security.Google Scholar
Dunn, K., Forrest, J., Burnley, I. and Mcdonald, A. (2004) ‘Constructing racism in Australia’, Australian Journal of Social Issues, 39, 4, 409–30.Google Scholar
England, P. (2005) ‘Gender inequality in labour markets: the role of motherhood and segregation’, State and Society, 12, 2, 264–88.Google Scholar
Findlay, R. and Cartwright, C. (2002) Social Isolation and Older People: A Literature Review, Brisbane: Australasian Centre on Ageing, University of Queensland.Google Scholar
Fleming, A. A. (1999) ‘Older men in contemporary discourses on ageing: absent bodies and invisible lives’, Nursing Inquiry, 6, 1, 3–8.Google Scholar
Flood, M. (2005) Mapping Loneliness in Australia, Discussion Paper 76, Canberra: The Australia Institute.Google Scholar
Fozdar, F. (2011) ‘Social cohesion and skilled Muslim refugees in Australia: Employment’, Journal of Sociology, 48, 2, 167–86.Google Scholar
Franklin, A. and Tranter, B. (2008) Loneliness in Australia, Housing and Community Research Unit Paper 13, Hobart: University of Tasmania, pp. 1–26.Google Scholar
Gerstel, N., Riessman, C. K. and Rosenfield, S. (1985) ‘Explaining the symptomatology of separated and divorced women and men: the role of material conditions and social networks’, Social Forces, 64, 1, 84–101.Google Scholar
Gordon, D. (2006) ‘The concept and measurement of poverty’, in Pantazis, C., Gordon, D. and Levitas, R. (eds.), Poverty and Social Exclusion in Britain: The Millennium Survey, Bristol: The Policy Press, pp. 29–69.Google Scholar
Gornick, J. and Janti, M. (2010) ‘Women, poverty and social policy regimes: a cross-national analysis’, in Saunders, P. and Sainsbury, R. (eds.), Social Security, Poverty and Social Exclusion in Rich and Poorer Countries, Antwerp: Intersentia.Google Scholar
Grahame, T. and Marston, G. (2011) ‘Welfare-to-work and the experience of single mothers in Australia: where are the benefits?’, Australian Social Work, 65, 1, 73–86.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gray, A. (2009) ‘The social capital of older people’, Ageing and Society, 29, 1, 5–31.Google Scholar
Hawthorne, G. (2008) ‘Perceived social isolation in a community sample: its prevalence and correlates with aspects of peoples’ lives’, Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 43, 2, 140–50.Google Scholar
Hayes, A., Gray, M. and Edwards, B. (2008) Social Inclusion: Origins, Concepts and Key Themes, report prepared by Australian Institute of Family Studies for Social Inclusion Unit, Canberra: Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.Google Scholar
Heady, B. and Warren, D. (2007) Families Income and Jobs, Volume 2: A Statistical Report on Waves 1 to 4 of the HILDA Survey, Melbourne: Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, University of Melbourne.Google Scholar
Hills, J., Le Grand, J. and Pichaud, D. (2002) Understanding Social Exclusion, Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Hughes, P. and Black, A. (2002) ‘The impact of various personal and social characteristics on volunteering’, Australian Journal of Volunteering, 7, 2, 59–69.Google Scholar
Hulse, K., Jacobs, K., Arthurson, K. and Spinney, A. (2011) At Home and in Place? The Role of Housing in Social Inclusion, AHURI Final Report no. 177, Melbourne: Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute.Google Scholar
Hulse, K. and Saugeres, L. (2008) Home Life, Work and Housing Decisions: A Qualitative Analysis, National Research Venture 1 Research Paper 7, February, Melbourne: Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute.Google Scholar
Jackson, C. (1999) ‘Social exclusion and gender’, The European Journal of Development Research, 11, 1, 125–46.Google Scholar
Joiner, T. E., Lewinsohn, P. M. and Seeley, J. R. (2002) ‘The core of loneliness: lack of pleasurable engagement – more so than painful disconnection – predicts social impairment, depression onset and recovery from depressive disorders among adolescents’, Journal of Personality Assessment, 79, 3, 472–91.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kawachi, I. and Berkman, L. F. (2001) ‘Social ties and mental health’, Journal of Urban Health, 78, 3, 458–67.Google Scholar
Levitas, R., Pantazis, C., Fahmy, E., Gordon, D., Lloyd, E. and Patsios, D. (2007) The Multi-Dimensional Analysis of Social Exclusion, Bristol: Department of Sociology and School for Public Policy, University of Bristol.Google Scholar
Lindsay, C. (2009) ‘In a lonely place? Social networks, job seeking and the experience of long-term unemployment’, Social Policy and Society, 9, 1, 25–37.Google Scholar
Lowenthal, M. F. and Haven, C. (1968) ‘Interaction and adaptation: intimacy as a critical variable’, American Sociological Review, 3, 3, 20–30.Google Scholar
Mack, J. and Lansley, S. (1985) Poor Britain, London: George Allen & Unwin.Google Scholar
Millar, J. (2003) ‘Gender, poverty and social exclusion’, Social Policy and Society, 2, 3, 181–8.Google Scholar
Millar, J. (2007) ‘Social exclusion and social policy research: defining exclusion’, in Abrams, D., Christian, J. and Gordon, D. (eds.), Multidisciplinary Handbook of Social Exclusion Research, Chichester: Wiley.Google Scholar
Miller, E., Buys, L. and Barnett, K. (2005) ‘Feeling blue? The importance of a confidant for the wellbeing of older rural married Australian and American men’, paper presented at the 38th Australian Association of Gerontology Conference, Surfers Paradise, QLD.Google Scholar
Ogg, J. (2005) ‘Social exclusion and insecurity among older Europeans: the influence of welfare regimes’, Ageing and Society, 25, 1, 69–90.Google Scholar
Osborne, K., Baum, F. and Ziersch, A. (2008) ‘Negative consequences of community group participation for women's mental health and wellbeing: implications for gender aware social capital building’, Journal of Community and Applied Social Psychology, 19, 3, 212–24.Google Scholar
Parks-Yancy, R., Di Tomaso, N. and Post, C. (2006) ‘The social capital resources of gender and class groups’, Sociological Spectrum, 26, 1, 85–113.Google Scholar
'Patulny, R. (2009) ‘The golden years? Social contact amongst retired men and women in Australia’, Family Matters, 83, 39–47.Google Scholar
Patulny, R. and Svendsen, G. (2007) ‘The social capital grid: bonding, bridging, qualitative, quantitative’, International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, 27, 1, 32–51.Google Scholar
Pinquart, M. and Sörensen, S. (2001) ‘Gender differences in self-concept and psychological well-being in old age: a meta-analysis’, Journal of Gerontology, 56B, 4, 195–213.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Putnam, R. D. (2000) Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community, New York, London: Simon & Schuster.Google Scholar
Rees, T., (1998) ‘Social exclusion and equal opportunities’, International Planning Studies, 3, 1, 15–34.Google Scholar
Robinson, J. P. and Godbey, G. (1997) Time for Life: The Surprising Ways Americans Use Their Time, University Park, PA: Pennsylvania State University.Google Scholar
Rosenman, L. and Scott, W. (2009) ‘Financing old age: why is there still gender inequality’, Australian Social Work, 62, 2, 287–98.Google Scholar
Saunders, P. and Sutherland, K. (2006) Experiencing Poverty: The Voices of Low-Income Australians, Towards New Indicators of Disadvantage Project Stage I: Focus Group Outcomes, Sydney: Social Policy Research Centre, University of New South Wales.Google Scholar
Saunders, P., Naidoo, Y. and Griffiths, M., (2007) Towards New Indicators of Disadvantage: Deprivation and Social Exclusion in Australia, SPRC Report, November 2007, Sydney: Social Policy Research Centre, University of New South Wales.Google Scholar
Scott, G. (2008) ‘Gender, poverty and wealth’, in Ridge, T. and Wright, S. (eds.), Understanding Inequality, Poverty and Wealth: Policies and Prospects, Bristol: The Policy Press, pp. 135–54.Google Scholar
Shapiro, A. and Keyes, C. L. M. (2008) ‘Marital status and social well-being: are the married always better off?’, Social Indicators Research, 88, 2, 329–46.Google Scholar
Stone, W., Grey, M. and Hughes, J. (2003) Social Capital at Work: How Family, Friends and Civic Ties Relate to Labour Market Outcomes, Australian Institute of Family Studies, Research Paper Number 31, Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies.Google Scholar
Timberlake, S. (2005) ‘Social capital and gender in the workplace’, Journal of Management Development, 24, 1, 34–44.Google Scholar
Torezani, S., Colic-Peisker, V. and Fozdar, F. (2008) ‘Looking for a “missing link”: formal employment services and social networks in refugees’ job search’, Journal of Intercultural Studies, 29, 2, 135–52.Google Scholar
van Emmerick, I. J. H. (2006) ‘Gender differences in the creation of different types of social capital: A multilevel study’, Social Networks, 28, 1, 24–37.Google Scholar
Warburton, J. and Cordingley, S. (2004) ‘The contemporary challenges of volunteering in an ageing Australia’, Australian Journal on Volunteering, 9, 2, 67–74.Google Scholar
Yuval-Davis, N. (2006) ‘Intersectonality and feminist politics’, European Journal of Women's Studies, 13, 3, 193–209.CrossRefGoogle Scholar