About

This PhD research explores the representation of single motherhood in British cinema from 1945 to 1970. This was a distinct period in the history of single motherhood: the Second World War had engendered substantial shifts in behaviour and attitudes to marriage and the family, yet prior to legislative change in the late 1960s, women had limited control over their fertility and family life. Past research into the history of single motherhood has focused on the lived experiences of single mothers and their relationships with charities and the state; this research is the first extensive study into how single mothers were represented in popular culture, and film in particular, within Britain.

This thesis combines a rigorous historical survey, rooted in archival research, with an exploration of how three types of single motherhood were represented in cinema: widowed motherhood, deserted motherhood, and chosen motherhood. A broad historical source base is employed, which includes newspapers and magazines, sociological and anthropological studies, and parliamentary debates and reports. Taking a historically grounded approach, this research investigates how films engaged with discourses surrounding single motherhood, in addition to more general political and social debates relating to women. This research proposes that single-mother characters were used by cinema to explore issues of concern for female audiences: to negotiate tensions between hegemonic ideals pertaining to marriage and motherhood, and the desires of women to make different choices and live in new ways. Films about single motherhood acted as an outlet for cultural anxieties and explored profound shifts in cultural practices, norms and gender roles. This research, therefore, not only deepens understanding of historical attitudes towards single motherhood, but also offers critical new insight into how cinema responded to, and the public conceptualised, the changing experiences of women within postwar British society.