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Family policies are a recognised instrument to improve gender equality by encouraging fathers to increase their participation in the private sphere. Previous research has found that attitudes about how paid and unpaid labour should be divided between partners differ between countries by varied support for traditional male breadwinner models and sharing models. On the other hand, behavioural studies have found that parenthood tends to modify gender relations by making them more traditional. This study aims to analyse if there are similar differences in attitudes between parents and individuals without children or if there is a dissonance between behaviour and attitudes. The importance of institutional context is taken into account by comparing these groups in an egalitarian and traditional policy context. The analytical strategy includes using quantitative data from the International Social Survey Programme from 2012, comprising 5385 respondents from Norway, Sweden, Germany and Poland. The association between attitudes about the division of paid and unpaid work and parenthood is analysed by applying multiple linear regression. The results are that parenting has a conservative effect on attitudes in a traditional policy context as parents with small children have a lower probability of egalitarian attitudes. In the egalitarian policy context, no such differences are found. Instead, gender seems to partly modify the association between parenthood and attitudes as mothers with toddlers have a higher probability of egalitarian attitudes than fathers with children between school age and 17 years old. Therefore, institutional contexts seem highly relevant for attitudes about the gendered division of labour. In the traditional policy context, institutional structures and norms seem to result in individuals correcting a discrepancy between attitudes and behaviour to reduce dissonance. On the other hand, the findings in the egalitarian countries point to contextual mechanisms which allow a dissonance between attitudes and behaviour to exist without individuals needing to correct the inconsistency.

The World Health Organization recommends feeding children human milk for the first six months after birth due to its known efficacy in ensuring their health and survival. The WHO’s research is intended to educate a broad audience of caregivers, whose identity must be understood in order for them to be reached. By analysing the WHO’s three factsheets published in English on the topic of ‘breastfeeding’, this research aims to answer two questions: In the WHO’s description of feeding infants and young children, to what extent does the language assign gender to the caregiver? And, if gender is assigned to the caregiver, which features of the written language and images make this visible? The study was carried out using a mixed methods approach, where the text was first searched for markers of gender and then analysed, modelling van Dijk’s discourse-cognition-society triangle. Lexicological and collocational findings suggest the presence of both an assumption of cis-femininity in caregivers who breastfeed and a paradigm of binary cis-heteronormativity that is representative of broader societal structures and their influences on cognition.

<p>Postpartum depression (PPD) is a mental health condition present in 13% of new mothers. It is a serious public health issue that profoundly impacts the health of mothers, their children, and their partners. While the short- and long-term implications of maternal mental health for children’s growth and development have been well documented, little has been written about the impact of maternal PPD on partners. In particular, the effects of PPD on new fathers have received little attention. This qualitative descriptive study examined, through the sharing of photographs by participants and in-depth interviews (n = 10), the experience of the transition to parenthood for first-time fathers whose partners have PPD. It also compared their expectations of fatherhood with the lived reality of the experience and explored fathers’ perceptions of, and access to, health services and supports. The main themes that emerged from the data analysis were: From two to three, Connecting with baby, PPD and the partner relationship, Heightened involvement with baby, and Available and desired supports. Sub-themes that captured more specific patterns in the data also were identified. The study findings have implications for establishing best practices that are inclusive of support and education for partners.</p> / Master of Science (MSc)

Denna kvalitativa dokumentstudie har som syfte att undersöka hur föräldraskap konstrueras i LVU-domar i förhållande till rekvisitet brister i omsorgen. Studien ämnar att undersöka hur moderskap respektive faderskap porträtteras i förhållande till detta. För att besvara studiens syfte och frågeställningar har LVU-domar analyserats utifrån en tematisk analys. Den teoretiska ramen har varit socialkonstruktionism, Hirdmans teori om genussystemet, intersektionalitet samt ett rättssociologiskt perspektiv. Studiens resultat visar att det finns flera olika faktorer som kan ligga till grund för en bristande omsorg och att det i varje specifikt fall görs en bedömning utifrån de omständigheter som kan innebära en påtaglig risk för att barnets hälsa eller utveckling skadas. Föräldrarnas omsorgsförmåga porträtteras följaktligen i förhållande till omständigheterna i barnets liv och till barnets specifika behov. Övergripande har studien också funnit att det generellt skrivs mer om mödrar i domarna. Deras omsorgsförmåga beskrivs mer utförligt, både i negativa och positiva ordalag. Det råder även en variation kring hur domen är utformad, samt hur mycket och hur utförligt det skrivs. I vissa domar skrivs det mycket kortfattat kring omsorgsförmågan, medan det i andra redogörs mycket utförligt. Studien har också funnit att moderskap respektive faderskap till viss del konstrueras på olika sätt. Till exempel konstrueras mödrar som ansvariga för grundläggande och känslomässig omsorg. De konstrueras även som ansvariga för att hantera konflikter och säkerställa säkerheten för barnet. Generellt skrivs det inte mycket kring fäderna och de tillskrivs generellt en mer passiv roll.

För hbtq-personer kan vägarna till föräldraskap se mycket olika ut. För homosexuella män, som både enskilt och i par saknar biologiska förutsättningar att bli gravida på egen hand, är möjligheterna till familjebildning särskilt begränsade. Tidigare forskning på området visar även att gruppen möter tydliga utmaningar och hinder i sin strävan efter att bli föräldrar. Syftet med studien var att genom åtta semistrukturerade intervjuer undersöka hur homosexuella män i samkönade par motiverar sin önskan om att skaffa barn, diskuterar och fattar beslut kring möjliga sätt att bilda familj, samt utforska erfarenheter av möjligheter och hinder på vägen mot att bli föräldrar till ett gemensamt barn. Studien motiveras av att forskning kring homosexuella mäns föräldraskap är knapphändig, särskilt i svensk kontext. Intervjuerna har analyserats med hjälp av tematisk analys och utmynnade i tre huvudteman och tio underteman. Resultaten visar att det finns en tydlig barnlängtan bland de deltagande paren men att normativa, ekonomiska, praktiska, juridiska och sociala hinder är vanligt förekommande i deras strävan efter att bilda familj. Med hjälp av ett queerteoretiskt ramverk synliggörs att homosexuella mäns familjebildning påverkas av heteronormativitet, kärnfamiljsideal och normer inom gaycommunityt. Deras erfarenheter synliggör ett dubbelt utanförskap i relation till dessa motstridiga normsystem. Avsaknaden av en tydlig väg att gå resulterar i osäkerhet, komplexa överväganden och en känsla av att vara utelämnad till sitt eget öde. Resultaten och tidigare forskning pekar mot behovet av samhälleliga och normativa förändringar, ökad tillgång till information, positiva rollmodeller och lämpligt stöd längsmed vägen mot ett tänkt föräldraskap. Det kan på sikt främja och underlätta homosexuella mäns möjligheter till familjebildning bortom heteronormens snäva ramar. / For LGBTQ individuals, the paths to parenthood can look very different. For gay men, who lack the biological ability to become pregnant on their own, the options to becoming parents are particularly limited. Previous research also shows that gay men face many challenges and obstacles in their pursuit of parenthood. By analyzing eight semi-structured interviews, the purpose of this study was to investigate how gay men in same-sex relationships motivate their desire to have children, how they discuss and make decisions regarding their family formation, and to explore opportunities and obstacles on their path to parenthood. The study is motivated by the fact that research on gay men's parenthood is scarce, especially in a Swedish context. The interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis and resulted in three main themes and ten subthemes. The results show that the participating couples are longing to have children, but normative, economic, practical, legal, and social obstacles are common in their pursuits to start a family. With the help of a queer theoretical framework, the results show that gay men's family formation is influenced by heteronormativity, ideals regarding the nuclear family, and norms within the gay community. Their experiences highlight a double exclusion in relation to these conflicting normative systems. The lack of a clear path forward results in uncertainty, complex decision making, and a sense of being left to their own devices. The results from this study and previous research point to the need for societal and normative changes, increased access to information, positive role models, and appropriate support along the challenging path towards parenthood. This could, in turn, promote and facilitate gay men's opportunities for family formation beyond the narrow confinements of heteronormativity.

Detta är en kvalitativ studie med syftet att undersöka föräldrars upplevelser och erfarenheter av sitt föräldraskap, sin parrelation, sin intimitet och sitt sexliv när man har barn med autism och ADHD. Syftet är även att undersöka om det finns något samband mellan föräldraskapet, parrelationen, intimiteten och sexlivet hos dessa föräldrar. Om det finns något sådant samband så är syftet även att försöka förstå detta samband. Empirin bygger på semi-strukturerade intervjuer av 10 föräldrar, 7 kvinnor och 3 män, som har levt eller lever med en partner och som är föräldrar till barn 4–20 år med autismdiagnos eller barn med autismdiagnos och ADHD. Analysen bygger på systemteori (Johnsen &amp; Torsteinsson, 2015, Lundsbye, 2010 med flera), den interpersonella metoden för intimitet (Reis och Shaver, 1988) samt begreppet intimitet (Moss &amp; Schwebel, 1993). Analysen visar, tolkat med hjälp av systemteorin, att föräldrarna sitter fast i samma omvårdnadsbehov som föräldrar har till små barn samt har svårt att vara i partnerrollen då de tvingas vara i föräldrarollen hela tiden. Analysen visar även, tolkat med hjälp av den interpersonella modellen för intimitet (IPM) samt begreppet intimitet, att föräldrarna har svårt att få till en intimitet i sin parrelation, känna sexlust samt få till ett aktivt sexliv. / This qualitative study aims to investigate parents' experiences with parenting, marital relationships, intimacy and sex life when they have children with autism and children with autism and ADHD. The study also aims to investigate whether there is any connection between parenthood, the marital relationship, intimacy and the sex life of these parents. If there is any such connection, the purpose is also to try to understand this connection. The empirical data is based on semi-structured interviews of ten parents, seven women and three men, who live with or have  lived with a partner and who are parents of children 4-20 years old who have autism or children with an autism diagnosis and ADHD. The analysis is based on systems theory (Johnsen &amp; Torsteinsson, 2015, Lundsbye, 2010 et al.), the interpersonal method of intimacy (Reis and Shaver, 1988) and the concept of intimacy (Moss &amp; Schwebel, 1993). The analysis shows, interpreted with the help of systems theory, that the parents are stuck in the same care needs as parents have for young children and have difficulty being in the partner role as they are forced to be in the parental role all the time. The analysis also shows, interpreted with the help of the interpersonal model of intimacy (IPM) and the concept of intimacy, that the parents have difficulty achieving intimacy in their relationship, feeling sex drive and achieving an active sex life.

This master thesis "Undergraduates establishing their families in the context of the family policy in the Czech Republic" offers a new view upon a dilemma of college-educated women within the Czech society in establishing their families - it is focused on the parenthood strategy during the university studies. The thesis provides analysis of both positive and negative aspects of the parenthood decision and it investigates what sort of support is given to the undergraduate mothers in the Czech Republic. Measures that could be introduced to the framework of family policy in order to create suitable conditions for the undergraduates establishing their families during the studies are proposed. Subjective views of seven respondents, describing their life as an undergraduate mothers, are included in the analytical part to help approach the undergraduate parenthood strategy development. The key underlaying basis for this thesis is the assumption that undergraduate parenthood could be a suitable life strategy for a number of women undergraduates, should the government support improve.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Family Studies and Human Services / Walter R. Schumm / Farrell J. Webb / Previous research on the transition to parenthood has focused predominantly on middle-class White married mothers. The present research expands upon this literature by evaluating the transition of non-married, low-income, White and Women of color experiences as new mothers in their transition to parenthood. This investigation uses the Fragile Families Child Wellbeing Study. Data from 1,195 first time mothers were examined. Baseline data on mothers, as well as one-year follow-up data, were used to evaluate the New Mothers’ Relationship Satisfaction Model. This model was developed as a response to the current literature and theory as it related to low-income, people of color, and single never married women who have been overlooked or ignored in the literature. The New Mothers’ Relationship Satisfaction Model examines the effects of expectation fulfillment, father’s behavior, experience of motherhood and family support on mothers’ relationship satisfaction. The model was then used to evaluate different groups of mothers based on their race/ethnicity and then their relationship status. Findings indicated race/ethnicity and relationship status differences among several of the constructs in the New Mothers’ Relationship Satisfaction Model. For some women the experience of motherhood and father’s behavior did not have a significant effect of their relationship satisfaction as predicted by the current literature. This investigation takes the first step in providing a comparison group of new mothers that have been overlooked by much of the research in this area. This research underscores the importance of differences that exist in mothers’ transition to parenthood and points to a need for further research with more diverse populations. Social scientists interested in the transition to parenthood must focus their research and theory on a more diverse population of new mothers in order to fully understand and give meaning to this experience.