Making Sense of Parenthood

Tina Miller is Professor of Sociology at Oxford Brookes University. She is recognised internationally for her research on gendered and cultural practices in families and family transitions. She is the author of Making Sense of Motherhood (Cambridge, 2005) and Making Sense of Fatherhood (Cambridge, 2010).

• Acknowledgements; Introduction; 1. Parenthoods: setting the contemporary context; 2. Caring landscapes and gendered practices; 3. Fathering, caring and work: parenting school aged children; 4. Mothering: caring, work and teenage children; 5. Parenting separately?: post-separation experiences; 6. Unfolding relationships: taking a longer view of moral orientations, mental work and gender in family care and work; 7. Conclusions and reflections; References.

'Based on a unique longitudinal study, Miller not only presents a deeply insightful account as to how parenthood is continually renegotiated over time, but also of how life itself – with all its capriciousness – influences our actions and choices. At the same time she clearly shows how politics and welfare provision strongly affect the balance between work and family life. Making Sense of Parenthood: Caring, Gender and Family Lives is an essential book for policymakers, students and scholars who are interested in family and social policy studies.' Lars Plantin, Malmö University, Sweden