Career Counseling and Life Trajectories in France: Research and Perspectives for Single Parenthood
Marcel Lourel *
College of the Teaching and Education, ESPE Lille Nord de France, France
Ofélia Petric-Tatu
College of the Teaching and Education, ESPE Lille Nord de France, France
Frédérique Gros
College of the Teaching and Education, ESPE Lille Nord de France, France
Caroline Closon
Faculty of Psychology, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium
Liliane Rioux
Department of Psychology, University of Paris-Ouest Nanterre, France
Pascale Desrumaux
Department of Psychology, University of Lille 3, France
Virginie Prud'homme
Office of the City of Fleury les Aubrais, France
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
The work–family literature is abundant, and there are a considerable number of manuscripts in the field. The main goal of this note is to discuss the fact that certain social, affective and economic aspects can impacts a single woman’s life trajectory. We try to examine the psychosocial determinants of single parenthood within a dynamic of territorial anchoring in order to introduce a new perspective regarding single parents’ trajectories and career counseling. Our hypotheses is We think that this social path takes root in a process of territorial anchoring which can exacerbate, or slow down, the emergence of certain health-related social vulnerability factors as well as their effects on the family unit itself. This note will focus on three aspects: the links between the social path and social/health vulnerability; to what extent this articulation activates or adds other factors of vulnerability such as precariousness, health problems, difficulty in work/non-work time management, lack of mobility; the psychosocial determinants of single parenthood and their fit within a dynamic of attachment to a neighborhood/municipality. The article also discusses the orientation for future paradigms in career counseling.
Keywords: Single parenthood, career counseling, professionals, social vulnerability, family factors