The socio-cultural and biological meaning of parenthood

Article


Purewal, S. and van den Akker, O. 2007. The socio-cultural and biological meaning of parenthood. Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics and Gynecology. 28 (2), pp. 79-86.
TypeArticle
TitleThe socio-cultural and biological meaning of parenthood
AuthorsPurewal, S. and van den Akker, O.
Abstract

Parenting a child is one of the most universal, common and fundamental assumptions the majority of men and women make from an early age about their future. This common and historic assumption was challenged in modernized Western societies in the 1960s with the opportunities for ‘mass control’ of reproduction and then again supported in the 1980s with the advance of ‘mass enhancement’ of reproduction. This study qualitatively assessed the meaning of parenthood of post modern British individuals of different ages, gender, cultural backgrounds and parity. The results of the Interpretative Phenomenological Analyses revealed a number of common ideologies about parenthood, and a number of specific age, gender, parity and cultural differences in how individuals interpret and experience parenthood. These individual differences play a significant part in the quality of life of people gaining or losing the opportunity to parent, as has been discussed ‘around the globe’ by Frank van Balen and his team, and must be considered in counselling people faced with decisions which challenge their personal and universal assumptions to parent a genetically related child.

Research GroupApplied Health Psychology group
PublisherInforma
JournalJournal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics and Gynecology
ISSN0167-482X
Publication dates
Print01 Jan 2007
Publication process dates
Deposited19 Nov 2009
Output statusPublished
Web address (URL)http://informahealthcare.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01674820701409918
LanguageEnglish
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