When Couples Become Parents: The Creation of Gender in the Transition to Parenthood

Bonnie Fox

University of Toronto Press, 2009 - Family & Relationships - 334 pages

When couples make the journey through their first year of parenthood they confront the challenges of their new responsibilities with varying degrees of support and a range of personal resources. When Couples Become Parents examines the ways in which divisions based on gender both evolve and are challenged by heterosexual couples from late pregnancy through early parenthood.

Following the experiences of forty heterosexual couples in various socio-economic positions, Bonnie Fox traces the intricate interplay of social and material resources in the negotiations that occur between partners, the resulting divisions of paid and unpaid work in their families, and the dynamics in their relationships. Exploring the diverse reactions of these women and men, When Couples Become Parents provides significant insights into the early stages of parenthood, the limitations of nuclear families, and the gender inequalities that often develop with parenthood.

Contents

• Introduction: 3
• The Dynamics of Support and Agency: 37
• The Challenges of the Postpartum Period: 77

About the author

Bonnie Fox is a professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Toronto.

Bibliographic information

• Title: When Couples Become Parents: The Creation of Gender in the Transition to Parenthood; G - Reference,Information and Interdisciplinary Subjects Series
• Author: Bonnie Fox
• Publisher: University of Toronto Press, 2009
• Original from: the University of Michigan
• Digitized: Sep 6, 2011
• ISBN: 0802091849, 9780802091840
• Length: 334 pages
• Subjects: Family & Relationships / Parenting / General; Social Science / Gender Studies; Social Science / Sociology / Marriage & Family; Social Science / Women's Studies