In order to assess these changes, I focus on the role of homes for unwed mothers in Auckland, primarily the facilities provided by the Salvation Army's Bethany Home and the Motherhood of Man Movement. Legislation also played an important role in the changing perceptions and options for single mothers; the Social Security Amendment Act of 1973 introduced the Domestic Purposes Benefit which provided single parents with financial support; and the Contraception, Sterilisation, and Abortion Act of 1977 loosened the restrictions around abortion and contraception, if only partially. Both of these pieces of legislation serve as major indicators of societal change, an affirmation of the transitioning perceptions of single parenthood. Current historiography has focussed little on unwed motherhood in this period of New Zealand history, despite the earlier parts of the century receiving scholarly attention. Focusing on the Auckland Bethany Home and the Motherhood of Man Movement therefore bridges a gap in the extant literature, and serves to supplement and enrich legal developments of this formative era with the more personal experiences of the single mothers."--Abstract.