Categories: uncategorized
Date: 21 August 2011 08:31:56
Tanya Gold wrote an amazingly witty but fairly accurate piece in yesterdays Guardian regarding the way single mums are being targeted as a scapegoat for the right following the riots. However, I have one problem with her article and the Guardian's approach to the whole thing in general - they are still falling into the gender trap. Single parenthood is like domestic violence - it is something which impacts both genders, but disproportionately women are left as full time carers of children and victims of domestic violence. However, men suffer too and in the rights rhetoric men are suffering too with "absent fathers" being stereotyped in a way which then is followed up in a way which disempowers women.
What the Guardian has done is actually fail to grasp the nettle on this one and show up the New Right nonsense of Melanie Phillips and the Daily Mail for what it is - dangerous patriarchal horse pooh. In continuing to perpetuate the myth of the irresponsible father and the single father with care as being only seen as the super-hero they are actually producing further marginalisation and invisibility of men who are suffering. Fact is absent fathers are parents too, many of them are trying to support their kids, but Cameron seems intent on demonising them. He seeks to do this by saying they leave little women who cannot cope and cannot give good role models. Sort of true because some areas are becoming very matriarchal communities and kids do need good role models of both genders....but in reality a whole lot more complex.