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Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons

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Gender

2015

Sociology

Articles 1 - 2 of 2

Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Anticipatory Socialization Of Pregnant Women: Learning Fetal Sex And Gendered Interactions, Medora W. Barnes Jun 2015

Anticipatory Socialization Of Pregnant Women: Learning Fetal Sex And Gendered Interactions, Medora W. Barnes

Sociology

Although doctors still frequently call out “It’s a girl!” when a baby girl is born, the majority of mothers now use ultrasound to find out the sex months earlier. This study examines how women who learn the sex of their fetus before birth are engaging in gendered verbal interactions throughout pregnancy. These include types of conversations, usage of gendered pronouns, and calling the unborn baby by a given name. These changes in behaviors by pregnant woman once fetal sex is known can be seen as a form of anticipatory socialization, as they begin to practice the behaviors and values associated …


Gender Differentiation In Paid And Unpaid Work During The Transition To Parenthood, Medora W. Barnes May 2015

Gender Differentiation In Paid And Unpaid Work During The Transition To Parenthood, Medora W. Barnes

Sociology

The transition to parenthood may be especially difficult because relationships need to be largely reorganized to meet demanding new challenges. For scholars interested in gender inequality, the transition to parenthood is a critical time in which gender differentiation is generated by both economic and cultural forces. Although newly married childless couples tend to share both paid and unpaid labor rather equally, when men and women become parents, their patterns become increasingly differentiated by gender. Cultural beliefs that emphasize mothers as the primary parent and fathers as secondary reinforce unequal patterns in housework and childcare. Time availability models, bargaining perspectives, and …