Hard to figure about some women. Maybe they are afraid they won't be able to make it without a man. I had a student once whose stepfather told "Mom", make a choice, the kid or me, and "Mom" chose the man and kicked the kid out on the street.
Not the first time in history that's ever happened, but thankfully I haven't known of very many first hand.
I know...Or the mothers that allow the fathers to beat their children instead of them. Thats how I got my 1st & oldest son at 13 yrs old. He took the beatings so daddy wouldn't hit mommy. I don't understand a mother who allows that. And I don't understand women who need men more then their own flesh & blood. But maybe because I am older I still have that blood is thicker then water idea that was drummed into my head by my parents. I've seen up close what incest does to a girl and thankfully she is fine now.
It took me a very long time before I brought my now husband around my "brood". I knew there would be problems & there were. He had never had children & expected them to behave. They were all teens & weren't happy but now its really good. His rules were what they needed & I had to make myself not interfere with some of his rules. That I think was the hardest part because I was used to dealing with my children my way & I didn't really like him telling them new rules. However to be a real family we all did quite a bit of adjusting. When we had Sassy, I was 41 yrs old & that made everyone come together really well.