this post was submitted on 13 Oct 2025
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Witches VS Patriarchy

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[–] snoons@lemmy.ca 143 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (3 children)

To me, single mother/father isn't negative. It's simply a way to explain their situation; that they are raising a child by themselves and for whatever reason they don't have a partner.

Honestly the first time I've heard someone think of it in a negative way. Mostly I hear people say single mother/father with sincere respect as they know raising a kid is difficult, and can't imagine doing it by themselves.

*Quick edit to affirm the fact that single fathers are relatively rare as we live in a patriarchy.

[–] ethaver@kbin.earth 16 points 1 month ago (3 children)

one of my mother's more unhinged rant topics was women intentionally keeping children away from their fathers as revenge for him breaking up with her and that if they don't have the maturity to get married and stay married then they shouldn't have children etc etc. She also talked mad shit about people who take government assistance to care for their children when my disabled sister has always been on as many benefits as my mother could get approved (she had good reasons though, unlike those lazy "other" people... πŸ€”)

ime I have seen mothers use their child coercively but it's not usually by keeping them from the father, at least not successfully. It turns out family court actually favors fathers if they bother to pursue custody, which few do without a strong reason, either good or bad. It's usually been women using the children to coerce family, friends, or a new partner into staying by getting them to bond with the child then being able to actually remove the child from them since they have no legal rights to the child. And I think the only reason I haven't seen fathers do it more is because, as stated previously, many don't pursue custody due to either internal or external expectations that childcare is the mother's job.

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[–] Bennyboybumberchums@lemmy.world 64 points 1 month ago (4 children)

Why are you assuming that "single mother" is a bad thing? Thats pretty fucking weird.

[–] buddascrayon@lemmy.world 28 points 1 month ago (2 children)

It's because of fucking Reagan. He's the dipshit who coined the term welfare Queen. Which painted a picture of single mothers that both Republicans and Democrats have held in their minds for the last 40 fucking years.

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[–] Duamerthrax@lemmy.world 21 points 1 month ago (1 children)

You also can't assume why the father is out of the picture. Sometimes, the father could be falsely imprisoned or even passed away.

[–] Foofighter@discuss.tchncs.de 14 points 1 month ago

Also also, why focus on the absentee instead of the person with the potential problem? Help first, blame later if necessary.

[–] AcidiclyBasicGlitch@sh.itjust.works 10 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

My first thought too. I mean it is true society has a fucked up stigma about single mothers, but the blame lies with society not the term single mother.

On the flip side you hear single father, and society's immediate response is "aww, that brave man!" That is not to say being a single dad doesn't actually come with its own set of weird societal day to day problems and prejudices, but the broad surface level response to the terms "single dad" vs "single mom" certainly seems to trend towards "what an upstanding man" vs "what an irresponsible ho."

[–] Trainguyrom@reddthat.com 10 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Society is so fucking weird about present fathers! Taking the kids to the park "oh where's mommy right now?" Handling a tantrum from the youngest while the oldest is asking for something "oh I see daddy's on parent duty!"

I just want to parent my kids man, you don't have to make it weird! Of course that's also not addressing the subset of people who are convinced that the only men who want anything to do with kids must be pedophiles and couldn't possibly just be present fathers

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[–] wesker@lemmy.sdf.org 55 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (4 children)

Why is she wearing a belt buckle of people 69ing?

[–] Tikiporch@lemmy.world 13 points 1 month ago
[–] deltapi@lemmy.world 6 points 1 month ago
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[–] ech@lemmy.ca 51 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Baring psycho religious idiots, do people really use "single parent" as a pejorative? I've only ever considered it an indication of the unique struggles the description entails, not as a judgment on them.

[–] iii@mander.xyz 11 points 1 month ago

I have heard it. Some people feel better about themselves by looking down on others.

[–] iAmTheTot@sh.itjust.works 6 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I genuinely don't know anyone that uses it as a pejorative.

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[–] als@lemmy.blahaj.zone 37 points 1 month ago

I feel like a widowed mother might not appreciate this

[–] ayyy@sh.itjust.works 35 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Since when is calling someone a single mother β€œblaming” them?

[–] njm1314@lemmy.world 7 points 1 month ago

Politics. That's when. Like I'm happy for you you've never heard it used that way but in politics it is almost always comes with blame attached to it. Particularly the last 40 years.

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[–] Gladaed@feddit.org 29 points 1 month ago (2 children)

I like that you post a lot, but I feel like there are some stinkers in there that don't pass the smell test. There's a plenty of single parents that actively keep past partners from their children. Often enough this is against their child's and former partners wishes. Some even want to hurt their exes by removing their child.

That being said the stereotype does certainly exist, but reality to me is more complex with less gender related lines. And pushing conservative gender roles is a yikes.

[–] stray@pawb.social 12 points 1 month ago

It's also sadly the case that many "absentee" fathers are in jail for victimless crimes and/or serving disproportionately long sentences, especially as the targets of racism.

[–] DancingBear@midwest.social 6 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (2 children)

Erin Patria Margaret Pizzey CBE (born 19 February 1939) is a British men's rights activist and novelist known for her advocacy on behalf of both men's and women's rights and for her work against domestic violence. She is recognized for founding the world's first and largest domestic violence shelter in the world, Refuge, then known as Chiswick Women’s Aid, in 1971.

Pizzey says that she has been the subject of death threats and boycotts because her experience and research into the issue led her to conclude that most domestic violence is reciprocal, and that women are as capable of violence as men. These threats eventually led to her exile from the UK. Pizzey has said that the threats were from militant feminists. She has also stated that she is banned from the refuge she started.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erin_Pizzey

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[–] cosmicrookie@lemmy.world 28 points 1 month ago (3 children)

Isn't this a very old and irrelevant way of thinking, but placed on a modern styled meme format, in order to maybe state a different problem?

Being single parents is not more derogatory that being a cat owner or having bangs

[–] tburkhol@lemmy.world 6 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I feel like it would be about 5 minutes before someone decides that emphasizing the father's role in the family (ie, absent) and ignoring the mother's role is just another way for the patriarchy to erase women.

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[–] neukenindekeuken@sh.itjust.works 27 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Why does she have a colostomy bag?

[–] surph_ninja@lemmy.world 23 points 1 month ago (5 children)

It’s AI slop. Look at the belt buckle.

ah, so it is.

fucking ai slop bullshit

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[–] Lyra_Lycan@lemmy.blahaj.zone 26 points 1 month ago

The single parent is the focus of importance to the discussion. Simply mentioning a thing isn't dissing it.

[–] Phegan@lemmy.world 23 points 1 month ago

It's not uncommon that people choose to be a single mother. So saying that it's a problem is bad.

This kinda feels like right wing propaganda they are obsessed with "the father not being around"

I am not denying there are fathers who don't take responsibility for having a child

[–] Professorozone@lemmy.world 21 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Well, he could have died. Just sayin.

[–] Lushed_Lungfish@lemmy.ca 14 points 1 month ago

That's entirely his fault though.

/S

[–] shalafi@lemmy.world 20 points 1 month ago (4 children)

Fuck all that. I spent thousands on a lawyer just to get my kids 3-months a year. I've spent 10's of thousands on child support. And I'm the problem?

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[–] zkfcfbzr@lemmy.world 20 points 1 month ago

In addition to what everyone else said, the terms just refer to completely different people. "single mother" obviously refers to the mother, while "children of absentee fathers" refers to... the children.

And it's a strawman anyways - nobody's out there using "single mother" as a pejorative. I've heard it used far more often in a good sense.

[–] bizarroland@lemmy.world 19 points 1 month ago

In my very specific case, my mother kidnapped me, she moved, she hid, she kept my location and presence a mystery from my father's side of the family for like eight, seven years of my life, and the only reason that that got broken was because I, as a teenager, hunted down my father, after which he was a part of my life again, and my mother resented him for that and still made it difficult for him.

Just like most men, most women are actually good.

But the bad ones are really bad.

That doesn't even make sense.

The first is talking about the child, the second about the mother.

[–] Zamboni_Driver@lemmy.ca 16 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I've never thought that term carried any stigma other than "this person is working harder than most do to survive"

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[–] HuntressHimbo@lemmy.zip 14 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I always thought this was more for the child's benefit. Rather than addressing them by what they are lacking addressing them by what they have might be gentler.

[–] mrgoosmoos@lemmy.ca 7 points 1 month ago

yeah I thought "single mother" was already a supposedly better replacement for "fatherless", for exactly the reason you stated

[–] ILikeBoobies@lemmy.ca 11 points 1 month ago

They aren’t the problem, they’re the one getting the recognition.

[–] Bonus@lemmy.ca 11 points 1 month ago (1 children)
[–] snoons@lemmy.ca 6 points 1 month ago

Dead~~beat~~ Dads

[–] fracture@lemmy.blahaj.zone 11 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

"children of absentee fathers"... instead of "single mothers"? or instead of "children of single mothers"? i don't disagree with the point, but the lack of clarity in the phrasing is really bugging me... it's probably just pedantry, it's not a big deal

well, i guess i would agree that it's usually not derogatory. i think it's probably a little nicer in reference to the child as well, since it doesn't as strongly imply they're totally fucked for life like saying "children of absentee fathers", cause at least they have a mom, you know?

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[–] IAmNorRealTakeYourMeds@lemmy.world 11 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (3 children)

sorry to change the topic. but what are those pants and accessories (besides the belt buckle). they look cool and I don't recognise them.

I always interpreted the concept of single mother to be made to highlight the "she's is doing it alone girlboss" rather than "she chose that". either way it's not ideal though

[–] ethaver@kbin.earth 14 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Looks like an ostomy bag, oddly enough. Seems oddly specific (a win for diversity?) but that does make me wonder if this is some specific public figure / personality being depicted.

[–] aeshna_cyanea@lemmy.dbzer0.com 19 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

I am betting it's ai slop. The way the bracelet is aligned with her doesn't look like how a human would draw it

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[–] 0ndead@infosec.pub 9 points 1 month ago (3 children)
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[–] agentshags@sh.itjust.works 9 points 1 month ago

Single 'father' here, and I don't give a fuck what you call it, I'll make the best of it but it fucking sucks

[–] gmtom@lemmy.world 7 points 1 month ago (2 children)

That absentee father outline is 100% Will Smith.

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[–] yakko@feddit.uk 6 points 1 month ago (4 children)

Just a bit of a mouthful, isn't it? If you're going to give notes on the English language, you gotta bring your A-game. Off the top of my head, "mom solo". I'm sure there are better ideas, just don't ask us to replace handy phrases with boring full sentences.

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