The DOI matches its Crossref record; 37 of the 37 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
“Is This What Motherhood is All About?”: Weaving Experiences and Discourse through Transition to First-Time Motherhood
Abstract
This article focuses on transition to first-time motherhood and explores the experiences of a group of women as they anticipate, give birth, and engage in early mothering. It illuminates how these women draw on, weave together, and challenge dominant strands of discourse that circumscribe their journeys into motherhood. Using qualitative longitudinal data, prenatal and postnatal episodes of transition are explored. The analysis and juxtaposing of these data reveal the different ways women anticipate and gradually make sense of becoming mothers. While there is a disjuncture between expectations and experiences for these new mothers, this article draws attention to the different ways women discursively position themselves through transition. It reveals how birth experiences can act as a discursive turning point and underscores the obduracy of some strands of dominant discourse. These findings contribute to a subtler and more nuanced understanding of the dynamic interplay between personal experience and gendered discourses.
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“motherhood often hinders women’s labour market performance and deteriorates their economic position (Miller, 2007; Pustułka, 2015)”
From Tightening early childcare choices – gender and social class inequalities among Polish mothers in Germany and the UK (2018) · cites this paper as Miller, 2007
Citations
Cites
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Cited by
Sorted by citations
Falling back into Gender? Men’s Narratives and Practices around First-time Fatherhood
Miller, T. (2011) · Sociology · doi:10.1177/0038038511419180 · Cited by 260
Self-citationBecoming a Mother: The Influence of Motherhood on Women's Identity Development
Laney, E. K., Hall, M. E. L., Anderson, T. L., & Willingham, M. M. (2015) · Identity · doi:10.1080/15283488.2015.1023440 · Cited by 219
Rehel, E. M. (2013) · Gender & Society · doi:10.1177/0891243213503900 · Cited by 219
The Importance of Motherhood Among Women in the Contemporary United States
McQuillan, J., Greil, A. L., Shreffler, K. M., & Tichenor, V. J. (2008) · Gender & Society · doi:10.1177/0891243208319359 · Cited by 212
What makes a good mother? Two decades of research reflecting social norms of motherhood
Schmidt, E., Décieux, F., Zartler, U., & Schnor, C. (2023) · Journal of Family Theory & Review · doi:10.1111/jftr.12488 · Cited by 198
Metadata
- Authors
- Miller, T.
- Affiliations
- Oxford Brookes University (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Miller, Tina
- ORCID
- Miller, Tina
- Venue
- Gender & Society
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2007-06
- Volume
- 21
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 337-358
- ISSN
- 0891-2432 (ISSN-L)
- 1552-3977
- OpenAlex
- W2119437676
- Cited by
- 244
- References
- 37
- Citations by year
- 2026: 6 · 2025: 18 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 14 · 2022: 15 · 2021: 9 · 2020: 17 · 2019: 21 · 2018: 11 · 2017: 19 · 2016: 16 · 2015: 19 · 2014: 14 · 2013: 17 · 2012: 16
- FWCI
- 15.72
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Gender & Society (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Demography › Family Dynamics and Relationships
- Social Sciences › Gender Studies › Gender and Feminist Studies
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › History › Historical Studies on Reproduction, Gender, Health, and Societal Changes
- Keywords
- first-time motherhood, transition to motherhood, childbirth experience, prenatal experience, postnatal experience, gender discourse, maternal identity, motherhood discourse
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