Skip to main content Skip to search Skip to search

Political Science Canadian

Mothers and Others

The Role of Parenthood in Politics

edited by Melanee Thomas & Amanda Bittner

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

Melanee Thomas' profile page

Amanda Bittner is a professor of political science and director of the Gender and Politics Laboratory at Memorial University.

Amanda Bittner's profile page

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

Other titles by

Other titles by

Related lists