Experiences of racism and the changing nature of white privilege amongst lone white mothers of mixed-parentage children in the UK

Abstract

The growing number of mixed relationships and mixed-parentage children in the UK has been held up as an indicator of increasing racial harmony. However, research has found that racism is a relatively common experience for mixed-parentage children. This paper draws upon empirical research involving in-depth qualitative interviews with thirty lone white mothers of mixed-parentage children. It argues that as well as negotiating racism directed at their children in a range of contexts including the local area, children’s schools and the extended family, lone white mothers of mixed-parentage children are frequently experiencing social disapproval themselves. Drawing on Frankenberg’s notion of whiteness as a seemingly unmarked and invisible category, this paper contributes an understanding of the complexities that being a lone white mother of mixed-parentage children brings to bear on white privilege.