Single-parenting and intimacy

This article presents the findings from in-depth interviews with 38 single parents of both sexes with respect to the adult, nonparenting component of their lifestyles. Autonomy, sexual constraints, intrarole conflicts, intimacy, and institutional supports are discussed from an interactionist perspective. Emphasis is given to how traditional gender roles restrict or facilitate intimacy for single parents. An emerging theme is that while gender roles are more restrictive of female parents with respect to meeting sexual needs, they are perhaps more oppressive of fathers when the broader notion of intimacy as an affective support system is examined.