Status Updates From What Is a Parent: A Socio-L...

In the year since the Second World War, we have witnessed an increasing separation of marriage and parenthood such that, marriage is fast being replaced by parenthood as the basis for 'family'.

‘parent’, like ‘child’, is a term with a shifting meaning. ‘Parenthood’, like ‘childhood’, refers to a fluid set of social practices and expectations that are historically and culturally situated, and its meaning is contingent upon broader social, political and economic exigencies.