sentences:  Widowhood and wife desertion were much more common in 19th-century Australia than today, and in the absence of any social safety net for single mothers, women had to explore options to provide for their families, especially in remote areas.Pub-keeping provided jobs not only for widows and deserted wives, but also for many female ex-convicts.It was comparatively lucrative work, so pub-keeping became a welcome and preferred option for many women.