Kōrero: Parenting

Unmarried mothers

In Pākehā society until the 1970s having a child out of wedlock was socially unacceptable. Many pregnant single women went to special maternity homes months before they gave birth so nobody would know about their situation. After their babies were born, many were given up for adoption. This clip from the 2009 film Piece of my heart shows a young woman (played by Emily Barclay) arriving at a maternity home. The matrons tells her about her duties while in the home and leaves her in the dormitory where she will sleep until her baby is born.

Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi

MF Films
Reference: Piece of my heart. Producer, Michele Fantl; writer and director Fiona Samuel; Auckland: MF Films, 2009

This item has been provided for private study purposes (such as school projects, family and local history research) and any published reproduction (print or electronic) may infringe copyright law. It is the responsibility of the user of any material to obtain clearance from the copyright holder.

Ngā whakaahua me ngā rauemi katoa o tēnei kōrero

Te tuhi tohutoro mō tēnei whārangi:

Lesley Patterson, 'Parenting - Marriage, separation and sole parenting', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/mi/video/26336/unmarried-mothers (accessed 30 March 2024)

He kōrero nā Lesley Patterson, i tāngia i te 5 May 2011, reviewed & revised 26 Jun 2018