No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

My dissertation examines couples’ transition to first-time parenthood, and how this experience varies by social class. More specifically, the design of this project is a qualitative comparison of two data collection points, which examines how couples of two different social class groups divide and manage housework before the birth of their first child, and how they manage the same housework (as well as the additional work of childrearing) six to nine months post-birth. With these concerns in mind, the primary question driving this research project is: do marriages become more gendered after the birth of a couple's first child, and if so, how does this experience differ by social class? The specific aims of the research are to identify if and how marriages become gendered after the birth of a couple’s first child. This study also seeks to identify and understand the disjuncture between what participants say versus what they do with regard to the completing of housework and parenting approaches. Research findings demonstrate how some couples’ marriages became more or less gendered, and how some marriages remained more gender-neutral, largely depended on the intersection of their gender repertoires and their social class position. Specifically, every household’s configuration of their access to social resources, availability of social support, their occupational (in)flexibility, and the pre-existing, gendered dynamics between husbands and wives directly and indirectly influenced their transitions to parenthood. Many middle and upper-middle class participants had the material and social resources which interacted with their gender repertoires and assisted them in achieving their desired post-birth outcomes. For most of these households, their new lives as parents involved a more gender-neutral distribution of housework and childrearing, and nearly all middle and upper-middle class mothers returned to paid employment after maternity leave. For most lower-middle class participants, however, the limitations in their educational attainment levels, annual household incomes, and social networks interacted with their gender repertoires in ways that posed constraints to their transition to parenthood, and their ability to achieve their desired post-birth, work-family balance. Financial restrictions and the unaffordability of childcare affected some lower-middle-class mothers’ abilities to return to paid employment, despite their initial intention of doing so. For some lower-middle class fathers, their occupational inflexibility constrained their abilities to spend more time with their families. The variation in gender repertoires between lower-middle, middle, and upper-middle class participants, resulted in differentials in how couples were able to respond to the changes and challenges of becoming parents. / Sociology

Les structures familiales se sont diversifiées depuis les années 1970. Chacune de ces « nouvelles » configurations a donné lieu à des interrogations et polémiques relatives à ce que recouvrait le terme « famille ». Dans le cadre de cette thèse, nous nous sommes intéressées à une structure familiale spécifique, celle composée d'un parent vivant seul à son domicile (sans conjoint cohabitant) ayant à charge un ou plusieurs enfants de moins de 18 ans. Bien que la résidence quotidienne ait été attribuée au « parent gardien », les enfants continuent à entretenir un lien plus ou moins continu avec l'autre parent. Pour qualifier ces parents, nous avons choisi l'expression « parent solo » plutôt que la catégorie statistique qui leur est associée, « famille monoparentale ». S'inscrivant dans une sociologie compréhensive, il nous a semblé plus approprié d'opter pour une formulation dans laquelle les parents enquêtés se reconnaissaient. De plus, cette expression « solo », illustre la situation de ces parents qui sont « seuls » sur le devant de la scène au quotidien (comme le soliste) mais accompagnés par différents individus en arrière-plan (les membres de l'orchestre). Nous sommes parties de l'hypothèse selon laquelle l'entrée en parentalité solo entraine une reformulation de la parentalité. Comment ces parents (re)construisent leurs rôles parentaux ? Quelles sont les continuités et discontinuités ? Les facteurs impactant (âge, sexe, CSP, etc.) ? A partir d'une enquête par entretiens menée auprès de 54 parents solos (36 mères et 18 pères), nous avons pu identifier des continuités et des ruptures dans les rôles parentaux suite à l'entrée en parentalité solo. De nouveaux contours des maternités et paternités se dessinent au terme de cette recherche. / Since the 1970's, there has been a great diversification of family structures. Every one of those "new" configurations has sparked questions and controversies as to what "family" meant. To complete this thesis, we focused on a particular type of family, the one composed of a single-parent living alone (without any other spouse cohabiting partner) and caring for one or more children under 18. Even though the daily care has been given to the "custodial parent", the children maintain a relationship with the other parent to various extent. To name those parents, we chose the term "solo parent" rather than the sociologocal term of single-parent family. Being in a comprehensive approach, we decided it was better to choose a term that investigated parents liked and used. Moreover, the term "solo" illustrates the situation of those parents. They stand alone on a daily basis on a stage (just as a soloist) yet, they are supported by other people from the back of the stage (members of the orchestra). We started this study from the hypothesis that being a solo parent changes what it means to be a parent. How do these parents (re) build their parenting roles ? What do they keep, what do they reject from former practises ? What are the main factors (age, gender, SPC...) at play in this transition ? From an interview-based study of 54 solo parents (36 mothers and 18 fathers), we have been able to identify persistences and disruptions in parenting roles, due to single-parenthood. From this study emerge new profiles of motherhood and fatherhood.

Surrogacy arrangements have become an increasingly popular way for childless people to build a family. Yet many jurisdictions do not regulate surrogacy. Even in the ab-sence of surrogacy regulation, if a jurisdiction has no specific legal rules that clarify parenthood following surrogacy, the result is often uncertainty in relation to the legal parental status of the surrogate mother, her spouse or cohabitant, any possible donors, and the commissioning parents. This, in turn, leaves the surrogate-born child’s family law status uncertain.   This thesis examines the legal aspects of parenthood and how it is, or could be, determined in Sweden following surrogacy arrangements. Important aims are to estab-lish whether the current national laws regulating family law can sufficiently protect the interests of the surrogate-born child and the parties to surrogacy arrangements, with an emphasis on interests connected to family law status; to examine the ways in which other jurisdictions (England and Wales, and Israel) have responded to similar issues; and to identify problems and propose alternative solutions in relation to the specific issue of establishing legal parenthood following surrogacy at a domestic level, either with or without State regulation of surrogacy agreements.   Consideration is given to whether it might be appropriate to re-evaluate or qualify the existing presumptions of parenthood, in particular the unwritten presumption of maternity. Several alternatives for the transfer of legal parenthood from the surrogate mother, and her spouse or cohabitant as the case may be, to the commissioning parent or parents are also examined. In addition, the ethical implications of surrogacy ar-rangements are explored in order to provide an insight into the way in which subcon-scious or hidden values might make it difficult for a State to regulate certain areas of private life such as parenthood.   The starting point for the thesis is that it is in the best interests of the child to have parents at birth and that this interest must be prioritised over an intended parent’s interest in becoming a parent. This view is based on and is consistent with existing Swedish law and policy.

<p>Härtill 5 uppsatser.</p> / digitalisering@umu

This Master's Thesis approaches the phenomen of upbringing of children by lesbian and gay couples. It deals with primary school teachers' attitude to the question of homosexuality and homoparentality. In the theoretical part, the issues such as family, gender, gender role and identity are introduced. Thereafter the work is focused on the concept of gay and lesbian families, the legal aspects of homoparentality and the possible approach to parenting by the same-sex couples. The thesis also presents some of the realized researches into homoparentality. Part of these studies covers a potentional influence of upbringing by same- sex parents on child's development. Second part comprises the researches focused on parental experience of gays and lesbian women. The last chapter of theoretical part deals with the conception of homosexuality and education at schools. The aim of the practical part is to find out what the attitude of primary school teachers to homosexuality and homoparentality is really like, whether and how these topics are taught and how the attitude of teachers is reflected in teaching/lessons. Keywords: homosexuality, homoparentality, same-sex family, gay parenthood, lesbian parenthood, registered partnership