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A Changing Landscape of Intimacy: The Case of a Single Mother by Choice

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  • Linda L. Layne

Abstract

American women who purposely undertake motherhood without the involvement of a male partner tend to be beneficiaries of second-wave feminist achievements in the areas of expanded educational and employment opportunities. I draw on an in-depth, longitudinal case study of one such Single Mother by Choice (SMC) to explore how the opportunities she has enjoyed and professional achievements she has attained have shaped her ‘intimate landscape.’ Intimacy means ‘innermost,’ and refers to a spatial relationship, whether physical and or metaphorical. ‘Landscape’ refers to ‘all the visible features of an area’ and ‘the distinctive features of a particular situation or intellectual activity.’ Together Carmen and I engaged in topography, producing a detailed description of the arrangement of the features of this area of her life—the intimate physical and emotional relations with her children, her dog, her mother, and close emotional relationships with her siblings and their families, some friends, and members of her church.

Suggested Citation

  • Linda L. Layne, 2015. "A Changing Landscape of Intimacy: The Case of a Single Mother by Choice," Sociological Research Online, , vol. 20(4), pages 156-171, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:socres:v:20:y:2015:i:4:p:156-171
    DOI: 10.5153/sro.3739
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Clarke, Phoebe & Ayres, Ian, 2014. "The Chastain effect: Using Title IX to measure the causal effect of participating in high school sports on adult women's social lives," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 62-71.
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    3. Shelley Budgeon, 2006. "Friendship and Formations of Sociality in Late Modernity: The Challenge of ‘Post Traditional Intimacy’," Sociological Research Online, , vol. 11(3), pages 48-58, September.
    4. Lynn Jamieson, 2011. "Intimacy as a Concept: Explaining Social Change in the Context of Globalisation or Another Form of Ethnocentricism?," Sociological Research Online, , vol. 16(4), pages 151-163, December.
    5. Sasha Roseneil, 2006. "On Not Living with a Partner: Unpicking Coupledom and Cohabitation," Sociological Research Online, , vol. 11(3), pages 111-124, September.
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    2. Maria Stoicescu & Cosima RughiniÈ™, 2022. "Swiping as a Single Mom: A First Look at the Experiences of Single Mothers Who Use Tinder," Sociological Research Online, , vol. 27(4), pages 964-983, December.

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