What Fresh Hell: Laughing in the Face of Motherhood

Maternal Gatekeeping: Is It a Thing?

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Episode notes

"Maternal gatekeeping" usually shows up in pop culture as an overbearing, overprotective mother preventing everyone else from even touching the baby. But maternal gatekeeping is a multidimensional phenomenon that isn't as simple as anxious mothers needing complete control over their newborn's schedule. Here is what the studies on maternal gatekeeping say and how it can manifest in two-parent households.

Amy and Margaret discuss:

• The three dimensions of the term "maternal gatekeeping" and what the original definition gets wrong
• The best predictors of maternal gatekeeping in a couple's dynamic
• The societal pressures that reinforce maternal gatekeeping

Here are links to some of the resources mentioned in the episode:

• Miss Perceived podcast with Leah Ruppanner: Are Dads Being Shut Out of Childcare? Breaking Down the "Maternal Gate"
• Sarah J. Schoppe-Sullivan, et. al for Parenting Science and Practice Journal: Who are the Gatekeepers? Predictors of Maternal Gatekeeping
• Sarah M. Allen and Alan J. Hawkins for the Journal of Marriage and Family: Maternal Gatekeeping: Mothers' Beliefs and Behaviors That Inhibit Greater Father Involvement in Family Work

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