[The evolution of female single parent families in various regions of Quebec, 1971-1981].

Developments concerning single-parent, female-headed households in Quebec are analyzed. The authors note that in contrast to past experience, "the new single parent family is in most cases the result of a voluntary disruption of the household, or of a birth outside marriage; its head is mostly--and increasingly--the mother; and it concerns an increasingly younger population, among parents as well as children." Differences among metropolitan regions are analyzed with regard to labor force participation, income, and housing conditions. (SUMMARY IN ENG AND SPA)