Bonnie Fox

Family Patterns, Gender Relations is a reader featuring a mix of classic and contemporary readings from Canada, the US, and the UK, designed to introduce second- and third-year sociology students to the key issues in family studies today. Through her thoughtful selection of readings and fully updated introductions contextualizing each reading within the discipline, editor Bonnie Fox explores the complex dynamics of family life with a focus on how gendered relationships continue to play a major role in the structure of today's family. The updated edition has been carefully revised featuring 13 new articles, four of which were written specifically for this edition. New articles tackle a wide range of issues that are important in family studies today, such as transnational families, the influence of the economy on the family unit, divorce, stepfamilies, and an entirely new part covering social policies and the family.

When couples make the journey through their first year of parenthood they confront the challenges of their new responsibilities with varying degrees of support and a range of personal resources. When Couples Become Parents examines the ways in which divisions based on gender both evolve and are challenged by heterosexual couples from late pregnancy through early parenthood. Following the experiences of forty heterosexual couples in various socio-economic positions, Bonnie Fox traces the intricate interplay of social and material resources in the negotiations that occur between partners, the resulting divisions of paid and unpaid work in their families, and the dynamics in their relationships. Exploring the diverse reactions of these women and men, When Couples Become Parents provides significant insights into the early stages of parenthood, the limitations of nuclear families, and the gender inequalities that often develop with parenthood.

When couples make the journey through their first year of parenthood they confront the challenges of their new responsibilities with varying degrees of support and a range of personal resources. When Couples Become Parents examines the ways in which divisions based on gender both evolve and are challenged by heterosexual couples from late pregnancy through early parenthood. Following the experiences of forty heterosexual couples in various socio-economic positions, Bonnie Fox traces the intricate interplay of social and material resources in the negotiations that occur between partners, the resulting divisions of paid and unpaid work in their families, and the dynamics in their relationships. Exploring the diverse reactions of these women and men, When Couples Become Parents provides significant insights into the early stages of parenthood, the limitations of nuclear families, and the gender inequalities that often develop with parenthood.