Préparer la naissance : une affaire de genre

Abstract

Preparing for childbirth : a gender affair What if birth preparations included preparing the gendered socialisation of the baby to be ? This article looks at the early processes involved in producing babies as gendered beings, and how they might already be put in place before birth, during pregnancy. Most couples expecting a child do not mobilise to welcome a baby that is “ neuter” in terms of gender, but a little girl or a little boy. Two aspects of this gendered preparation for childbirth are examined : getting the future baby’s “ wardrobe” together, and preparing the place where he or she will sleep. This mobilisation also includes a gendered role distribution for the parents : in both cases, the mother’s involvement is more noticeable. The article is based on semistructured interviews conducted in 2011 and 2012 with women who have higher-education qualifications, before or just after the birth of their second child.