Constructions of motherhood and fatherhood in newspaper articles on maternal and paternal postpartum depression

Authors

  • Elizabeth M. Alexander University of Saskatchewan
  • Linda M. McMullen University of Saskatchewan

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1558/genl.v9i2.17318

Keywords:

Postpartum Depression, Motherhood, Fatherhood, Newspaper Articles, Discourse Analysis

Abstract

Postpartum depression (PPD) is typically constructed as a medical condition that is defined by prevalence rates, time of onset, duration, symptoms, causes and treatments. Presentations of PPD in popular texts have also revealed that it is a site for constructions of mothering/motherhood. While PPD has traditionally been assumed to be the domain of women, researchers have recently focused attention on PPD and men. Using articles on maternal and paternal PPD published in Canadian and American newspapers between 2008 and 2012, we analysed how constructions of mothering/motherhood and fathering/fatherhood were inscribed in this public forum. We show how mothering/motherhood was foregrounded via dominant evaluative discourses and highly imbued with expectations while fathering/fatherhood was kept in the background and characterised by the unavailability of clear expectations. We conclude that maternal PPD remains primary and normative while paternal PPD remains ‘othered’ despite the supposed attention to it in these public texts.

Author Biographies

  • Elizabeth M. Alexander, University of Saskatchewan

    Elizabeth M. Alexander completed her Master’s degree in clinical psychology at the University of Saskatchewan in 2013. She presented a version of this article at the conference of the International Society of Critical Health Psychology held in Adelaide, South Australia in April 2011.

  • Linda M. McMullen, University of Saskatchewan

    Linda M. McMullen is a professor of psychology at the University of Saskatchewan and is co-author (with Frederick Wertz, Kathy Charmaz, Ruthellen Josselson, Rosemarie Anderson, and Emalinda McSpadden) of Five Ways of Analysing Qualitative Data: Phenomenological Psychology, Grounded Theory, Discourse Analysis, Narrative Research, and Intuitive Inquiry and co-editor (with Janet Stoppard) of Situating Sadness: Women and Depression in Social Context. Her recent publications include discursive analyses of service providers’ and service users’ accounts of depression and the use of antidepressants.

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Published

2015-08-05

Issue

Vol. 9 No. 2 (2015)

Section

Articles

How to Cite

Alexander, E. M., & McMullen, L. M. (2015). Constructions of motherhood and fatherhood in newspaper articles on maternal and paternal postpartum depression. Gender and Language, 9(2), 143–166. https://doi.org/10.1558/genl.v9i2.17318