Stanford Sociologist Finds Women More Worried Than Men About Becoming Parents

A new study by Brooke Conroy Bass, a doctoral student in sociology at Stanford University, found that women were more concerned than men about the prospect of becoming parents and women were more likely than men to downsize their career objectives due to the anticipated duties of parenthood.

Bass interviewed a large group of young heterosexual couples who had not yet had any children. “Women in my study were much more likely to think about, worry about, and make changes to their career plans just by imagining the additional responsibilities and care work that comes with parenthood, while men did not,” Bass said.

“Women are already taking on a burden of worrying and making choices in anticipation of the conflict that they believe will occur in the future,” Bass continued.

Bass is a graduate of Clemson University in South Carolina. She holds a master’s degree in sociology from Stanford University.

The study, “Preparing for Parenthood?: Gender, Aspirations, and the Reproduction of Labor Market Inequality,” was published in the June issue of the journal Gender & Society. It may be accessed here.