Iris Marion Young

About the author: Iris Marion Young is the author of Justice and the Politics of Difference.

Some social scientists and politicians have concluded that only traditional two-parent families are capable of raising children successfully. They blame single mothers—both divorced and nevermarried —for a variety of social problems that are beyond their control. Since there is little conclusive evidence that single-parent families are harmful, society should stop stigmatizing families headed by single mothers and give them the support they need.

When Dan Quayle denounced Murphy Brown for having a baby without a husband in May 1992, most liberals and leftists recognized it for the ploy it was: a Republican attempt to win an election by an irrational appeal to "tradition" and "order." To their credit, American voters did not take the bait...