Promises I Can Keep: Poor Women, Motherhood and Marriage

Promises I Can Keep: Poor Women, Motherhood and Marriage A talk with Kathryn Edin.

The stereotypes and statistics of single motherhood in low-income urban neighborhoods are familiar enough. But what is the reality of these young women's lives, and why do so many postpone marriage – or avoid it altogether – but not childbearing? Kathryn Edin, co-author of Promises I Can Keep: Why Poor Women Put Motherhood Before Marriage, joins us to discuss her book, which is based on a five-year study of single mothers in eight of the Philadelphia area’s poorest neighborhoods.

Featuring a presentation by: Kathryn Edin, Associate Professor of Sociology, University of Pennsylvania

Moderator: Sharon Lerner, Senior Fellow, Center for New York City Affairs

Respondent: Mark Levitan, Senior Policy Analyst, Community Service Society

Children and Families, Government & CommunitiesAbigail KramerCenter for New York City Affairs, children, CNYCA, communities, families, low-income, low-income neighborhoods, low-wage, marriage, motherhood, neighborhoods, NYC, politics, poverty, single mothers, social welfare, The New School, women, youthComment