The politics of parenting
type: Dataset
description: Children have become increasingly 'precious' at both societal and household level. Meanwhile, their economic value for parents has deeply changed, from being a resource to being a cost, while they also have become emotionnally 'priceless'. At the societal level, both the 'scarcity' of children due to the fall in birthrates and the increased recognition of the needs for a highly educated workforce for the knowledge economy of the future have upgraded the child issue on the policy agenda, at European level as also at national level in most EU member states. Investing in children has become a priority for governements in the first decade of the 21st century, not only to forster the participation of women in the labour market, but also to increase the welfare of children and improve the children's future role as citizens and workers. However the intention to have children might be conflicting with the will of participating in the labour market, thereby complexifying the decision of becoming parent. Although most of research on the fertility intentions has focused on the 'value of children' at societal level, and also on structural explanations ot fertility decline, focus here is on cultural dimensions shaping fertility intentions and decisions. The chapter explores how the conflict between children and work is overcome in France, a country that combines a highest -low fertility rate with a relatively high mothers's particpation in the labour force. Drauwing from a range of qualitative interviewes with men and women, parents or childless, living in couple or not, the chapter explore the meaning given to children by both men and women, as also its influence on the making of fertility intentions and realization. The chapter highlights the role of public policies on the making up of the meaning of children, threfore contributing to a better understanding of the individual rationale behind reproductive intentions. By focusing on working and parenting conflicting values and a…
landing page: The Social meaning of Children and fertility Change in Europe
keyword: book-sections
keyword: conflit-travail--famille
keyword: devenir-parents
keyword: evolution-de-la-fecondite
keyword: fertility-change
keyword: infoeu-reposemanticsbookpart
keyword: parentalite
keyword: parenting
keyword: reproductive-decisions
keyword: shssociohumanities-and-social-sciencessociology
keyword: signification-sociale-des-enfants
keyword: social-meaning-of-children
keyword: work--family-conflict
issued: 2026-05-12T07:08:50.428878
modified: 2026-05-12T07:08:50.428885
language: en
contact point: Organization
  fn: CCSD

test_moissonnage_selune
type: Agent

The politics of parenting
type: Distribution
format: HTML
access URL: https://shs.hal.science/halshs-00802198
issued: 2026-05-12T07:08:50.440595
modified: 2026-05-12T07:08:50.383446