Quality of Life of Single Mothers by Choice in Israel: A Comparison to Divorced Mothers and Married Mothers

Although single motherhood by choice has become more common in the last three decades, little is known about the influence of this family structure on the quality of life of mothers. To address this gap, the current study examined the quality of life profile of 61 single mothers by choice (SMC) in comparison to that of 53 divorced and 60 married mothers in Israel. The findings indicate similarities between the three groups in the psychological, physical, social, and cultural components of quality of life. However, after controlling for economic and paternal involvement variables, the quality of life of SMC was significantly higher in all four components compared to that of married mothers. No significant differences were found between the SMC and divorced mothers. (C) 2005 by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights reserved.