Motherhood and fatherhood

Question 1

What did Ribbens McCarthy (2003) say about motherhood

Answer 1

• Women still feel they need to conform to traditional norms to what constitutes a good mother
• This includes making sure the children receive good fathering
• Mothers are still perceived as the ones who have the ultimate responsibility for stabilising the family and keeping the whole family together

Question 2

What are single mothers branded as by the media

Answer 2

Scroungers and bad parents

Question 3

What did Park (2014) argue

Answer 3

Rejects the idea of monomaternalism because

• Children may be raised by a foster or adoptive mother while having a biological mother
• Children may have a biological and step-mother
• They may be raised by lesbians or bisexuals
• They may be raised in a polygamous family

Question 4

What are the changes that have brought traditional views of fatherhood into question

Answer 4

Higher divorce rates - Fathers may have limited or no contact with their children after divorce

• New concepts of masculinity - Men are now more open and emotional
• Changing patterns of male employment - There are less manual jobs and more service jobs

Question 5

What did Gray (2006) find

Answer 5

• Many fathers emphasised the need to spend quality time with their children
• Fathers viewed activities with their children as expressions of fatherhood rather than domestic work
• However, many fathers also felt the pressure of long hours at work

Question 6

What was Dermott’s (2003) study

Answer 6

• Carried out in-depth interviiews with 25 fathers

- Mentioned many wanted a closer, more intimate relationship with their children than what their fathers had

Question 7

Thompson (2005) study on paternity leave

Answer 7

• On 1,200 working fathers of infants between 3 and 15 months
• Concluded new dads are more willing than ever to combine work with staying home and performing childcare
• 8 out of 10 working fathers said they would be happy to stayat home and look after the baby
• 9 out of 10 felt as confident as their partner in childcare

Question 8

What evidence is there that fathers don’t take an equal share in parenting

Answer 8

• Fathers still spend considerably less time parenting than mothers
• There is considerable diversity in the involvement of fathers (see dads on dads Hatter 2002)
• Many fathers are still constrained by long working hours, limited access to parental leave and flexible hours
• High rates of divorce mean fathers may have limited or no access to their children

Question 9

What is Statham’s (2011) argument

Answer 9

• Grandparent care can take many forms from occasional babysitting to full-time childcare
• Grandparents may also care for children who’s parents are unable or unwilling to do so

Question 10

Findings of an HSBCC(2007) report

Answer 10

The cost of childcare if grandparent care wasn’t used was £50 billion

Question 11

Grandparentsplus (2009) report

Answer 11

Grandparents are also flexible

• They will care for a sick child when a nursery refuses to have them
• Formal childcare closes around 6pm so it is vital care for shift-workers or those who work irregular hours
• They also provide support during family breakdowns

Question 12

Issues highlighhted by Chambers (2013) in response to grandparents

Answer 12

• Grandparenting is still very gendered with grandmothers playing a larger role than grandfathers
• Many grandparents are still in employment or have active social lives
• Families are usually more spread out so grandparents can’t always give regular help
• Risingg rates of divorce mean paternal grandparents can loose contact with grandchildren