Konstruktioner av moderskap och faderskap: En kvalitativ studie om hur föreställningar om moderskap och faderskap interagerar med andra bedömningskriterier på Familjerätten
(2010) SOPA63 20092School of Social Work
- Abstract
- The aim of our study was to examine how concepts of motherhood and fatherhood interact with other determining factors in child custody investigations. Emanating from our own work experience in social work, we began to consider the prevalent values surrounding parenting, in particular, those terms related to motherhood and fatherhood. Thus our central issues of examination are which assessment criteria affect a social worker with regards to questions of child custody, residence and access; how a social worker constructs parents in his or her reasoning and judgments; and if he or she reproduces society's perceptions of motherhood and fatherhood. We started with a social constructivist approach in which sex is seen as being socially... (More)
- The aim of our study was to examine how concepts of motherhood and fatherhood interact with other determining factors in child custody investigations. Emanating from our own work experience in social work, we began to consider the prevalent values surrounding parenting, in particular, those terms related to motherhood and fatherhood. Thus our central issues of examination are which assessment criteria affect a social worker with regards to questions of child custody, residence and access; how a social worker constructs parents in his or her reasoning and judgments; and if he or she reproduces society's perceptions of motherhood and fatherhood. We started with a social constructivist approach in which sex is seen as being socially constructed. This approach also makes use of Yvonne Hirdman’s theory of the gender system. Our results were analyzed based on these theories. We chose to interview seven social workers using a semi-structured interview technique, in which we also used a vignette as an interview tool. We found that the prevailing notions in society regarding maternity and paternity according to the social workers are based on traditional gender roles, which means that it is still the mother who is deemed to have primary responsibility for childcare. This was evident in the reasoning of the social workers, where the parents were constructed in accordance with societal standards. Since the continuity of the child was highlighted as a key evaluation criterion, we believe that it is difficult for family secretaries to free themselves from notions of maternity and paternity when the mother is the one who stood for the continuity. This is when the mother, according to traditional gender roles, was seen as the primary care giver. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/1567706
- author
- Cragnell, Johanna LU and Herlin, Kristina LU
- supervisor
- organization
- course
- SOPA63 20092
- year
- 2010
- type
- M2 - Bachelor Degree
- subject
- keywords
- gender, family law, child custody investigations, motherhood, fatherhood
- language
- Swedish
- id
- 1567706
- date added to LUP
- 2010-03-16 15:08:08
- date last changed
- 2010-03-16 15:08:08
@misc{1567706,
abstract = {{The aim of our study was to examine how concepts of motherhood and fatherhood interact with other determining factors in child custody investigations. Emanating from our own work experience in social work, we began to consider the prevalent values surrounding parenting, in particular, those terms related to motherhood and fatherhood. Thus our central issues of examination are which assessment criteria affect a social worker with regards to questions of child custody, residence and access; how a social worker constructs parents in his or her reasoning and judgments; and if he or she reproduces society's perceptions of motherhood and fatherhood. We started with a social constructivist approach in which sex is seen as being socially constructed. This approach also makes use of Yvonne Hirdman’s theory of the gender system. Our results were analyzed based on these theories. We chose to interview seven social workers using a semi-structured interview technique, in which we also used a vignette as an interview tool. We found that the prevailing notions in society regarding maternity and paternity according to the social workers are based on traditional gender roles, which means that it is still the mother who is deemed to have primary responsibility for childcare. This was evident in the reasoning of the social workers, where the parents were constructed in accordance with societal standards. Since the continuity of the child was highlighted as a key evaluation criterion, we believe that it is difficult for family secretaries to free themselves from notions of maternity and paternity when the mother is the one who stood for the continuity. This is when the mother, according to traditional gender roles, was seen as the primary care giver.}},
author = {{Cragnell, Johanna and Herlin, Kristina}},
language = {{swe}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{Konstruktioner av moderskap och faderskap: En kvalitativ studie om hur föreställningar om moderskap och faderskap interagerar med andra bedömningskriterier på Familjerätten}},
year = {{2010}},
}