Doing It All

Trade Paperback

Hardback

Paperback

The Social Power of Single Motherhood

'With courage, compassion and generosity, Russell presents an intersectional history which honours single motherhood in all its complexity . . . Bold, revelatory and a joy to read' Elinor Cleghorn, author of Unwell Women

'Lucid and liberating' Eliane Glaser, author of Motherhood: A Manifesto

Nearly a quarter of UK families with dependent children are single-parent families, and around 90% of single parents are women. Yet the single mother is still cast as victim or welfare queen, sexually irresponsible or too independent by half.

Tracing a history through Victorian brothels, welfare rights activism and Black feminist traditions of othermothering, Ruby Russell tells a different story: of motherhood defined not by marriage or men, but as a nexus of solidarity beyond the patriarchal status quo.

A personal quest for empowerment, Doing It All is also a fierce critique of the structures that leave single mums marginalised and exhausted - and a call to reclaim mothering as the life force of sustainable, connected and radically responsible communities.

'A riveting memoir-cum-cri-de-c ur-cum-manifesto for envisioning motherhood anew' Kirsten Swinth, author of Feminism's Forgotten Fight