Shared parenting in a changing world of work: Lesbian couples' transition to parenthood and their division of labor.
Item
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Title
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Shared parenting in a changing world of work: Lesbian couples' transition to parenthood and their division of labor.
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Identifier
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AAI9908352
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identifier
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9908352
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Creator
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Reimann, Renate.
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Contributor
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Adviser: Julia Wrigley
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Date
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1998
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Sociology, Individual and Family Studies | Women's Studies
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Abstract
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The effects of biological motherhood, early childcare requirements, gender inequality, and power imbalances on parents' transition to parenthood and their division of labor are much contested issues. This dissertation explores these questions in a unique context--lesbian parenthood--where biological and practical requirements can be analytically separated from gender effects.;The analysis is based on a study of 25 lesbian couples' transition to parenthood and their division of labor. Each couple had at least one biological child under the age of six and all children were born within the context of the couples' relationship. I conducted in-depth interviews with each partner and with the couple, and all participants filled out short questionnaires at the time of the interview and at 18 to 24 months after the interview.;The distinction between the biological and non-biological mother affected couples in three domains of motherhood: public, relational, and personal motherhood. Comothers countered public ignorance, social and legal invisibility, and the lack of biological connection to the child by sharing primary childcare and establishing a distinct parenting role within the family.;Mutual acknowledgment of the right to financial independence and commitment to paid work, shared values supporting the desirability of childcare and the importance of housework characterized the lesbian couples in this study. Same-sex gender dynamics, feminist attitudes, and the desire to equally parent and mother their children formed the basis for shared or joint motherhood and a predominantly egalitarian division of labor.;The labor intensity of early childcare and the need for financial security led to a variety of work arrangements, including long-term specialization into homemaker and breadwinner (28%). Specialization, however, was independent of biological motherhood. Desire to be with the child, economic considerations, and strong commitments to equality and shared motherhood rather than biological requirements informed decisions about leave strategies and long-term paid work arrangements.;Work arrangements were generally flexible and shifted whenever labor force or childcare requirements changed. Flexibility also characterized the division of specific household and childcare tasks. Overall, time/availability proved to be the best predictor of involvement in family work.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
