Domesticfication of urban space? Mothering and fathering while on family leave in the inner city of Helsinki

Abstract

Cities have been described as masculine, but simultaneously emancipatory for women giving them the possibility to experiment with new identities. Women have gained access to the masculine sphere through working-life and financial independence. The new interest among families to live in inner cities has been interpreted as a way particularly for mothers to combine work with family life. Drawing on an in-depth qualitative study, this paper investigates mothering and fathering practices on family leave in Helsinki, Finland. It explores how parenting is incorporated into the mothers’ and fathers’ urban self-identity, and argues that while parenting in the city traditional gender roles are blurred. The paper proposes the term domesticfication to describe how urban middle class mothering and fathering is being inscribed in Nordic contemporary urban space.