Preparing for Parenthood: Who's Ready, Who's Not?

doi:10.1017/CBO9780511499753.003

3 - Preparing for Parenthood: Who's Ready, Who's Not?

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 15 July 2009

Constance T. Gager ,

Sara S. McLanahan and

Dana A. Glei

Edited by

Neal Halfon ,

Kathryn Taaffe McLearn and

Mark A. Schuster

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Constance T. Gager: Affiliation:
Visiting Assistant Professor Department of Sociology, University of Pennsylvania
Sara S. McLanahan: Affiliation:
Professor, Sociology and Public Affairs Princeton University; Director Center for Research on Child Wellbeing
Dana A. Glei: Affiliation:
Research Consultant Santa Rosa, California
Neal Halfon: Affiliation:
University of California, Los Angeles
Kathryn Taaffe McLearn: Affiliation:
Columbia University, New York
Mark A. Schuster: Affiliation:
University of California, Los Angeles

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Summary

The birth of a child, especially the first child, represents a major life transition for most parents. Parents' ability to cope successfully with their new responsibilities has lasting consequences not only for the health and development of their new baby but also for their own well-being and relationship with one another. Despite the predictability of these new challenges, adults enter parenthood with different levels of skill and knowledge and with different social and psychological resources.

To explore levels of “readiness” that new parents bring to their role, we examined data from the 1996 Commonwealth Fund Survey of Families with Young Children in four areas: whether or not the pregnancy was intended, parents' receipt of formal instruction about childbirth or parenting, parents' access to social support from family or friends, and the extent to which parents are prepared psychologically for the challenges of parenting. Our analysis addresses two basic questions: What proportion of new parents are ready for their new role in each of these domains and What risk factors are associated with being unprepared for parenthood? Although other researchers have examined these indicators separately, this study is the first to consider them concurrently using a nationally representative data set.

Overall, the results are encouraging. The vast majority of new parents appear to be prepared for their responsibilities. Over 95 percent say their child was wanted, over 75 percent attended a parenting class, and 70percent have friends or relatives to call on in an emergency.

Type: Chapter
Information: Child Rearing in America
Challenges Facing Parents with Young Children
, pp. 50 - 80

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511499753.003 [Opens in a new window]

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Print publication year: 2002

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