Mothers and Others
The Role of Parenthood in Politics
- Publisher
- UBC Press
- Initial publish date
- Apr 2018
- Category
- Canadian, Women in Politics, General, Gender Studies
-
eBook
- ISBN
- 9780774834612
- Publish Date
- Sep 2017
- List Price
- $34.99
-
Hardback
- ISBN
- 9780774834582
- Publish Date
- Sep 2017
- List Price
- $95.00
-
Paperback / softback
- ISBN
- 9780774834599
- Publish Date
- Apr 2018
- List Price
- $34.95
Add it to your shelf
Where to buy it
Description
When women in politics interact with reporters, opponents, and constituents, they are forced to confront their parental status. If they have children, they are questioned about their competence in both their public and private lives. If they don’t, they face criticism for not understanding or relating to key policy domains. This “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” conundrum raises difficult questions about the intersection of gender, parental status, and politics.
Mothers and Others examines key areas of citizen engagement with the political system – political careers, the media, and political behaviour – to argue that being a parent is a gendered political identity that influences how, why, and to what extent women (and men) engage with politics. The first major comparative analysis of the role of parenthood in politics, Mothers and Others makes important observations about what we know and what we still need to find out.
About the authors
Amanda Bittner is a professor of political science and director of the Gender and Politics Laboratory at Memorial University.
Editorial Reviews
Melanee Thomas and Amanda Bittner have assembled a fascinating and important exploration of the role, understanding, and perceptions of mothers and motherhood within the realm of politics.
New Books Network