Single-parent families: A discourse analysis of PhD theses

The study of social-economic and other aspects of the life of single-parent families and of the influence of family structure on the success of children socialization remains relevant. The article aims at the analysis of the scientific discourse on single-parent families and social practices of single motherhood and fatherhood based on the Russian PhD theses defended from 2003 to 2023. The authors also used their PhD research data for a ten-year period (since 2012). The source of data was the Dissertation Fund of the Russian State Library (RSL). A total of 12 PhD theses in sociology, with the object and/or issues directly related to singleparent families, were identified and analyzed. Theses were classified according to the following parameters: specialty code (according to the Higher Attestation Commission List), year, city and organization of defense, methods and directions of research. The authors note that the issues under study turned out to be quite peripheral for sociology, since the number of defenses has decreased after 2013, and no doctoral theses have been defended for twenty years. Most theses were prepared in the specialty “Social structure, social institutions and processes” and defended in universities (not scientific organizations). As a rule, theses are based on traditional sociological methods to collect and analyze data and rarely use the capabilities of digital platforms and technologies. Most theses emphasize social risks and vulnerabilities of singleparent families. The authors believe that special longitudinal studies are needed to study the life chances, social mobility and economic success of children from families of different structural types and to analyze the lives of single mothers and fathers. Moreover, Russian theses do not sufficiently study the issues of mental and physical health of single mothers and fathers, parentchild relationships and economic status of single-parent families.