Feminist Parenting

Feminist Parenting is a collection of writings from women around the globe who offer unique standpoints on feminist theory, intersectional feminist parenting, and empowerment, through poetry, research, and prose. Global perspectives include Anwar Shaheen’s research on parenting inequality in Pakistan, Marlene Pomrenke’s examination of Aboriginal single mothers attending University, and Iza Desperak’s insights on single motherhood in Poland. The collection offers Johanna Wagner’s witty, self-reflective essay on her ambivalence toward her new role as a lesbian parent, and Sarah Keeth’s abortion fantasy sonnet “Tomatoes” in which she describes a pregnant woman who desires, yet struggles with her pregnancy. Feminist Parenting brings together unique voices and provides riveting perspectives on an institution in flux. The anthology pulls back the veil on power dynamics in relationships and exposes some of the challenges of feminist parenting in society. Authors shed critical light on long-held parenting conventions such as unpaid carework labor, gender roles, and family power dynamics, and expose how particular conventions reproduce gendered inequality. Feminist resistance strategies are offered by authors for “doing parenting,” to increase “mother-power” in the family. This collection raises important questions about contemporary women’s roles and adds to the current literature on feminism, parenting, gender, and family diversity.