Couples' Transitions to Parenthood

Edited by Daniela Grunow, Goethe University Frankfurt, Germany and Marie Evertsson, Stockholm University, Sweden

'The birth of a first child is a major event for modern, employed couples. Babies need so much and couples must find ways to divide childcare and yet protect the time each needs for their careers and their own relationships. European couples confront these challenges in very different ways, depending on the extent of job-protected family leave and the quality, availability and affordability of childcare. And of course there is always the gender dimension, which seems to favour mothers over fathers in some countries more than others. These in-depth interview studies of couples experiencing new parenthood in eight countries provide engaging and dramatic views of how much can differ (or be taken for granted).'

• Contents: PrefacePART I Conceptual framework, comparative overview and methodology1. Institutions as reference points for parents-to-be in European societies: a theoretical and analytical frameworkDaniela Grunow and Gerlieke Veltkamp2. Institutional context, family policies and women’s and men’s work outcomes in eight European welfare states Marie Evertsson3. Comparing couples’ narratives within and across countries. Research design, sampling and analysisDaniela GrunowPART II The Scandinavian ‘Role Model’?4. The crossroads of equality and biology. The child’s best interest and constructions of motherhood and fatherhood in SwedenJenny Alsarve, Katarina Boye and Christine RomanPART III Conservative welfare states transforming the breadwinner-homemaker model 5. Anticipating motherhood and fatherhood – German couples’ plans for childcare and paid workAnna Dechant and Annika Rinklake 6. Dutch couples at the life-course transition to parenthoodMirjam Verweij and Maria Reimann7. The transition to parenthood in Switzerland: between institutional constraints and gender ideologiesNadia Girardin, Felix Bühlmann, Doris Hanappi, Jean-Marie Le Goff, Isabel ValarinoPART IVUnsupportive familialism in crisis8. The best for the baby: future fathers in the shadow of maternal care in ItalySonia Bertolini, Rosy Musumeci, Manuela Naldini, Paola Maria Torrioni9. The transition to parenthood in Spain: Adaptations to idealsPaco Abril, Patricia Amigot, Carmen Botía-Morillas, Marta Domínguez-Folgueras, María José González, Teresa Jurado-Guerrero, Irene Lapuerta, Teresa Martín-García, Jordi Monferrer and Marta SeizPART VDrifting apart: Post-socialist legacy in new welfare states10. Searching for egalitarian divisions of care. Polish couples at the life course transition to parenthoodMaria Reimann11. Constructions of parenthood in the Czech Republic: maternal care and paternal helpOlga Nešporová and Růžena StuchláPART VI Conclusions in comparative perspective12. Narratives on the transition to parenthood in eight European countries. The importance of gender culture and welfare regime Marie Evertsson and Daniela GrunowIndex