Keekers
Friday, March 5, 2010
Parenting Websites
Ok, so this just came to me.... websites dedicated to parenting!!! Of course that must be gendered. After a quick google search of "Women and Parenting" and the second page down was this website http://www.womensweb.ca/parenting/index.php that has a TON of information about parenting. Everything from the importance of motherhood to how to deal with a lazy dad, this website has it all! Then, I decided to google search "Men and Parenting" to see if a website of this nature was available for men. Hahaha Nope. The second page that came up on this topic was a webpage entitled "Parenting Classes for Men"http://www.babyzone.com/mom_dad/fatherhood/article/parenting-classes-for-men. It just goes to show how society still has this idea that women should do the vast majority of the child rearing because women are just so "kind", "gentle", and "nurturing", and are therefore "natural" mothers . Men on the other hand, they have no idea how to raise/look after children, therefore they need special classes in order to teach them how to be a parent. Wow, I mean talk about perpetuating and reinforcing gender stereotypes. Geeze!
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Thanks for this idea Keekers!! I never even thought about Parenting help sites as a website that is gendered but they definitely appear to be. This got me thinking about television and its connection to the web!
ReplyDeleteI've noticed that a lot of people have been blogging about television networks or programs and their websites. and Parenting websites reminds me of my two of my favourite networks, TLC and the Women's Network. They too are mostly directed towards a female target audience, with shows like 'A Baby Story' and Chick Flick movie marathons on Friday and Saturday nights (okay..... so thats what I do on my weekends?? haha). My second thought though is that this all relates back to what we've been discussing in class with soap operas (another television channel targeted at women, particularly those who are home during the day, deemed 'homemakers' or 'stay at home moms'). Television networks, programs and their websites such as womensnetwork.com permit the ideal role for women as domesticity. Parenting websites only further support this by promoting the construction of woman as primary caregiver and mother.
Great post :) Thanks for sharing!
Aubrey B.
I love how the title says "From Dude to Dad." You never see women's parenting articles that suggest that women have to undergo a transition to motherhood, it's just always assumed that they're ready for it.
ReplyDeleteHere are some of the parts I thought were super interesting:
That's right. Brian is among the growing numbers of men who CHOOSE to attend all male fathering seminars in an effort to ARM themselves with the ultimate parenting tool—information!
(Okay, so you need weapons to raise a baby? Better yet, for men it's a choice, for women, you are just a bad mother if you don't take lamaze and prenatal classes)
Dads are DRAGGED along to child prep classes with their SWOLLEN wives but tend to remain MUTE during the discussions, silently counting the minutes until they can ESCAPE to the safety of the car.
(Can't you just imagine a man clawing the pavement to not have to go to prenatal class? And once it's over, you run, because darn it's hard to be around all those pregnant irrational women, eh? (Sarcasm) Oh and remember, they're "swollen" not pregnant...)
"The guys spoke more and they got to blow off a little steam instead of being careful around their pregnant wives," he says
(Once again, thank god men don't have to be around us crazy pregnant women...)
Macho Muffin
I also enjoyed the "from Dude to Dad" article. I think that it is really interesting in the way that some of the points were worded. Parenting in general is very separated and gendered. Why does it have to be like that? Why can't the parenting forums and meetings be for both people instead of just moms and just dads? Instead of assuming that motherhood is inherently known, and that fathers need to LEARN how to be fathers. When people are socialized this way it makes it a lot easier for fathers to walk out and feel like they have less of a responsibility to their child and partner, and for some mothers to win custody over the father, even if they are unfit.
ReplyDelete***Looie***
Wow great find Keekers! :)
ReplyDeleteIts so sad that we are socialized to believe this stereotype on gender when we associate it with parenting. I hate when I hear parents play up on this ridiculous idea...like I can't even count how many times I've heard men say "I've never changed one diaper!!" and they say it in this proud tone as if they are above it or something and it's "a woman's job".
Using my own childhood as an example, I grew-up with married heterosexual parents that both worked full-time and tried to share the parenting duties equally. Then around the time of my 3rd Birthday my mom was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia and was basically bedridden for the next 3 yrs. Therefore it was my dad that was always teaching me new things, playing outside with me from breakfast to dinner, and dressing/bathing me (he even learned how to do pony-tails/french braids!). Parenting is completely based upon each individual, anyone can be a good parent just as anyone can be a bad parent I don't believe that gender has anything to do with it.
*Silver
We've seen that anything that society stamps "womanly" or for women tends to be devalued, or not taken seriously...it's scary to know that since child care is deemed a woman's job that it is devalued. What could be more important that raising children. It saddens me whenever I hear about men that have an aversion to raising children, or that pop culture portrays men as not suitable care givers. This is disadvantageous to both men and women. Men that may want to stay at home and raise children may feel not masculine enough or women that don't enjoy staying home with their children may resent being expected to do so. Gender roles I find inhibit people from actualizing their full potential.
ReplyDeleteIt's too bad people didn't see all traits as just human traits that anyone can have or display. Then, maybe, we would be more free to be exactly what we wanted to be.
-ShadowsDreaming