Evolving Attitudes toward Single Motherhood in the UK and Russia

Project Information

SingleMother

Grant agreement ID: 101020077

DOI

10.3030/101020077

Project closed

EC signature date 20 April 2021

Start date 1 October 2021

End date 30 September 2023

Funded under

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Total cost

€ 212 933,76

EU contribution

€ 212 933,76

Coordinated by

THE CHANCELLOR MASTERS AND SCHOLARS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE
United Kingdom

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - SingleMother (Evolving Attitudes toward Single Motherhood in the UK and Russia)

Reporting period: 2021-10-01 to 2023-09-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

The project aims to address the evolving attitudes toward single motherhood in the UK and Russia. Single motherhood has become a global phenomenon, with a significant proportion of women in both countries being unmarried and raising children. However, single mothers face stigmatization and societal challenges. This project seeks to explore how these attitudes have evolved in two distinct societies.
The survey is important for several reasons. It helps uncover the cultural tools, both literary and visual, that contribute to the construction of the notion of single motherhood. This research advances gender equality, recognizing the diversity within the community of single mothers, and challenging stereotypes. It provides insights into the impact of cultural norms on the role of literature and visual media in shaping societal perceptions.
The project has been designed to fulfil three main research objectives. First, the research investigated contemporary policies on single motherhood, with a focus on the UK and Russia. Second, the project examined the gendered cultural ideologies in the UK and Russia related to single motherhood, from the early 21st century to the present. This analysis includes self-help books, children’s illustrated literature and young adult fiction. Finally, the survey investigated how these ideologies and attitudes are represented in children’s illustrated texts, delving into the visual aspect of meaning-making in picturebooks and children’s illustrated magazines.
The project’s results offer valuable insights into the representation of single mothers and their experiences in literature and visual media in the UK and Russia. The outcomes contribute to the fields of gender studies, political studies, literary studies, and social semiotics. They enhance our understanding of cultural norms and values related to single motherhood, providing a basis for discussions on societal perceptions and attitudes. The visual grammar of single motherhood discerned in the project can serve as a valuable resource for educators. The insights into the representation of single mothers can inform policy discussions related to single mothers’ rights and societal acceptance.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

The project employed an innovative methodology that spanned gender studies, political studies, literary studies, and social semiotics to examine the collective representation of single mothers’ experiences. The core of the research is a content analysis of various types of texts, including official documents regulating single mothers’ policy, non-fiction advice books, children’s and young adult literature. The analysis encompassed 32 nonfiction books, 48 novels for young adults, 62 children’s picturebooks, 17 short stories for adults and children’s short stories in illustrated magazine. These texts had been selected to meet criteria, including their origin, publication timeframe, and relevance to representing contemporary single motherhood.
The Comparative Cross-Cultural Analysis was focused on key questions whether there are differences in the representations of single mothers in these two cultural contexts and whether valuable insights about cultural norms and semiotic tools can be derived in English-speaking and Russian literature. This analysis is based on the concept of a multiple approach to text, which explores hidden cultural messages within texts. It assessed the meaningful distance between text and illustration to determine the implicit ideological, political, and cultural messages. Social semiotics and multimodal discourse analysis were utilised to understand the visual and symbolic elements involved in depictions, to describe cultural encoding systems and identify artistic tools used in visual representations.
The research results were published in scientific journals and made available in Open Access repositories. All publications included reference to EU funding as specified in the Grant Agreement. The project, its objectives, and the MSCA funding scheme were discussed at various conferences and seminars. They are showcased on a website where relevant content is now available. The results were delivered at talks and seminars held by the Centre for Research in Children’s Literature and the Knowledge, Power, and Politics research cluster at the Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge. The project was featured on the Faculty website. An interview titled “Are Working Moms Rare in Children’s PictureBooks?” was also published on Workingmums.co.uk.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

This project is characterized by its innovative nature, breaking new ground in several ways. Its focus went beyond conventional research topics, shedding light on the experiences and cultural representations of single mothers in a broad variety of literary genres. The research brought together a range of disciplines, including literary, semiotic, political, gender, and cultural studies, for data analysis. This interdisciplinary synthesis was a novel approach to studying the representation of single mothers’ communities in children’s and young adult literature, self-help books and official documents. The project introduced a diverse set of research methods, including content analysis, comparative cross-cultural analysis, social semiotics, and multimodal discourse analysis. The survey involved a unique cross-country, cross-cultural comparison between the UK and Russia, two societies with contrasting political regimes. While the UK and Russia have different opinions on single mothers, they share a common trend: single motherhood is becoming more normal in both countries. But there are many different books in English, namely self-help and advice books, with diverse stories and ideas about single mothers. In contrast, Russian advice literature about single mothers is quite limited. There are very few books that help people think about single motherhood and share their experiences. In the UK, the research found that single mothers are portrayed in a wide range of ways in children's books, which are easily accessible through online shopping. These books show single mothers doing both traditional and non-traditional activities. Single mothers by choice are showcased as creators of literature to discuss their family structure and important ideas about a variety in family constellations and become more visible to the rest of society. In Russia, the research revealed a contrast between the textual descriptions and the visual representations. While there may be some diversity in the written descriptions, the visual aspects remain limited.
The potential impacts of the project are multifaceted and reach beyond academia. The research has implications for social policies related to single mothers, influencing the development of policies that better address their needs and challenges. It challenges stereotypes, reduces stigma, and promotes empathy and support for single mothers. The project contributes to cultural development by exploring the role of literature and visual media in shaping societal norms. It deepens our understanding of how culture evolves and influences perceptions of single motherhood. The innovative methodologies and interdisciplinary approach used in the project advances the field of academic research. It provides a model for future research into underrepresented social groups and the role of literature in cultural development.

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