by Ann Oakley (Author)
In this classic re-issue, Ann Oakley interviewed 60 women to find out what it's really like to have a baby. She uses the stories mothers tell to discuss whether and why women want to become pregnant, how they imagine motherhood to be, the experience of birth, post-natal depression, feeding and caring routines and the challenges for the domestic division of labour and to fathers.
This important book was the first to examine first-time motherhood in the words of those experiencing it, and it continues to influence generations of researchers today.
Author Biography
Ann Oakley is Professor of Sociology and Social Policy at the UCL Institute of Education. A social researcher for more than 50 years, and author of many academic publications, she is also well known for her biography, autobiography and fiction. She founded both the Social Science Research Unit and the EPPI-Centre at the UCL Institute of Education, and has a long-term interest in gender, welfare, and the shaping of public policy.