4.4.4: Changes in the concept of motherhood and fatherhood

ideologies of motherhood and fatherhood

• dominant set of ideas

• clarify cultural expectations about how mothers and fathers should behave

• in patriarchal societies - expectations regarding motherhood are harsher

parenting: motherhood

• arfini

• views about parenting styles shifted in 1950s and 1960s

  • mothers began to enter workforce 

  • double role - mother at home, earner at work

  • mother’s role shifted from expressive to intensive 

  • fathers became more involved in children’s lives 

  • no distinct separation between roles of mother and father 

• 1970s - feminists started to criticise motherhood and fatherhood 

  • claimed both roles were socially constructed for patriarchal ideology and institutions

  • chambers

• leonard

• changing attitutes towards motherhood:

  • wilkinson

  • evidence of educated women postponing motherhood until late 30s and early 40s and having fewer children

    • women raising children alone

    • rejecting notion of needing male

  • women choosing voluntary childlessness

    • rejecting motherhood

    • giddens

  • renewed popularity of activist or digital feminism

    • led females to see motherhood as oppressive ideology and practice restricting independence and ability to compete equally with men in workforce

parenting: fatherhood

• miller

• hauari and hollingworth

• salway et al.

• warin et al.

• changes in fatherhood:

  • men in 1990s more likely to attend birth of babies than men in 1960s

  • burghes

  • beck

  • gray

• however:

  • looking after children is still responsibility of mother

  • valle et al.

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