“Becoming a parent changes lives in all sorts of ways and the chapters in this collection sensitively chart experiences of undertaking mothering and fathering in a range of contexts…Across the chapters experiences from wanting a baby, through birth to early parenting and “balancing” caring demands with paid work, are examined. This approach captures and collectively crystalizes the ambivalence, which continues to pattern experiences of parenthood and especially motherhood. Experiences of pain and joy, regrets, guilt and love are narrated: even so, this book is challenging and honest, rather than depressing. Collectively the chapters pose fundamental questions for societies about how parenthood is assumed and configured and how parents are supported. This fascinating book provides a unique contribution to parenthood and feminist scholarship and is a must read for anyone interested in real life experiences of motherhood, fatherhood and the doing of modern family lives.” (Professor Tina Miller, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, UK)
“This edited collection is important reading. Based on interviews with new parents, the stories it tells belie idealised images of early parenthood. Interviewees report attempts to accommodate a new identity within changing relationships with partners, wider families and friends. Paths to Parenthood makes a significant contribution to contemporary social science and health care.” (Dr. Kerreen Reiger, author of Our Bodies, Our Babies: The Forgotten Women’s Movement)
