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 gender theories all have been used to explain these patterns. Some changes that could help ease the transition to parenthood include expanding US parental leave policies, improving available childcare, adding f lexible work policies, and offering more couples-focused intervention programs. Although much is known about the topic, more research is needed for the literature to ref lect the new generation of global and diverse parents.It's not just that couples are startled by how the division of labor falls along gender lines, but they describe the change as if it were a mysterious virus they picked up when they were in the hospital having their baby; they don't seem to view their arrangements as choices they have made. (Cowan and Cowan 1992, 98)

Although expectant mothers have long purchased items in preparation for their baby's birth, the timing and type of purchases being made have changed in response to pregnant women routinely learning the sex of their fetus through ultrasound. This article examines changes in these consumption patterns through data drawn from personal narratives with 25 women divided between two cohorts-those who gave birth in the 2000s and those who gave birth in the1970s. The routine use of ultrasound has encouraged changes in beliefs about the relationship between a fetus and its mother in younger women, which in turn inspires earlier purchases of baby items than was normative 30 years before. Not enough attention is being paid to the fact that newborn babies are more likely today than three decades ago to spend their first few months wearing gendered clothing and being surrounded by gender-specific furniture and objects, which their mothers are purchasing during pregnancy.

This article explores destigmatization discourses in the United States in the early 21st century, as social and political strategies and as narrative social movements unto themselves. We argue that the first decades of the new century see a trend of marginalized actors across many categories, including queer marriage, drugs, (discreditable) mental illness and (discredited) other areas of identity and disability, make narrative attempts to neutralize their "deviant" identities. We argue that destigmatization has occurred through the successful use of medicalization and assimilation framing of de-stigma discourses. Assimilationist frames increase "liberal" emphasis on actionable outcomes of de-stigma, like cultural access (i.e. inclusion, visibility, representation), and legal justice for marginalized people. Some assimilationist discourse endeavors to situate stigmatized identities inside of conformist frames, while (fewer and less visible) others resist dominant frames of acceptability. Contested assimilation and radical leftist de-stigmatization, as well as re-stigma discourses are also discussed.

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 with the role of being either a mother of a son or mother of a daughter. Findings also discuss general differences between mothers who choose to find out fetal sex and those who choose not to. The research is based on in-depth interviews with middle-class mothers in the United States.In recent decades, we have seen sustained focus on gender parity in workplaces, schools, and politics in pursuit of gender equality and the ability to make life choices regardless of one's sex. Although progress has been uneven and sometimes stalled, recent polls found that men's and women's lives and attitudes have generally grown more symmetrical with regard to both work and family life (Galinsky, Aumann, and James 2009). Whether analyzing the increasing equality in domestic labor or the acceptance of dual-earner couples, many researchers have emphasized the ways in which gender no longer dictates one's life experiences at the same levels as in previous decades, even though problems such as gendered violence and the glass ceiling continue (Bianchi et al. 2012;Lachance-Grzela and Bouchard 2010).Although the importance of gender has diminished in some arenas of social life, to fully understand gender relations today, it is essential to examine those aspects of society where gendered interaction patterns have also increased. This study looks at one life experience where increased gendering appears to be occurring. Drawing on in-depth interviews with a group of largely white, middle-class, American women who gave birth in the 2000s, it contrasts the experiences of women who chose to find out the sex of their fetus (currently the majority of women)

Barnes, Medora W., "Deciding on leave: how US women in dual-earner couples decide on maternity leave length" (2014). Sociology. 28.This research contributes to the dialogue on maternity leave policy in the United States through analysing how pregnant school teachers with access to extended maternity leave decide how long a leave to take. The lived experiences of new mothers are examined through a series of longitudinal interviews with 16 public school teachers conducted at three points over the course of the transition to parenthood (pregnancy through first year). Findings indicate that although financial reasons played a large role in women deciding to return to work more quickly, issues of professional identity and personal happiness were also meaningful. Additionally, holding gendered parenting ideologies and being uncomfortable with available childcare options were important in the decision to take an extended leave. key words maternity leave • transition to parenthood • motherhood • teachers