Lone Mothers on Welfare in West Berlin: Disadvantaged Citizens or Women Avoiding Patriarchy?

Lone mothers can be sure of periodic public scrutiny, in part because of their dependence on government welfare payments and their often disastrous financial situation. Dependence on welfare, in particular, is often offered as evidence of their marginalised, disadvantaged status. We argue, in contrast, that being ‘on welfare’ can be seen as a positive opportunity for certain groups of lone mothers at certain periods in their lives. Our research revealed an ambivalence in these women's attitudes towards welfare. On the one hand, they feel various constraints as a result of their dependence on welfare; on the other, however, they feel it also enables them to lead the life-style they prefer. They are unwilling to marry or remain in marriages simply because of the presence of children. They are willing to take responsibility for child care themselves and to abandon or cut back paid employment, at least for a period of time; but they refuse to depend upon a husband's maintenance. In this situation, the state becomes the more acceptable breadwinner.