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"Twamley, Katherine"
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‘She has mellowed me into the idea of SPL’: unpacking relational resources in UK couples’ discussions of Shared Parental Leave take-up
This article undertakes an in-depth examination into how two couples negotiate the sharing of parental leave, to understand how ‘relational resources’ may be drawn on in transforming gendered practices. The couples are selected from a longitudinal study of 42 first-time parents taking various combinations of leave. Drawing on a ‘listening guide’ approach, I analyse the interactions observed in couple interviews with a couple that shares, and another couple that does not share leave. I show that in trying to convince their partners to take leave, both women draw on gendered scripts, either in how the interaction is managed, or by the discourses that are drawn on. Moreover, fathers’ work context strongly mediates negotiations, as all participants judge this to trump other considerations regarding leave, reinforcing men’s attachment to the workplace. More research is needed to understand how these process shape divisions of paid and unpaid work in the long term.
Journal Article
Adolescents’ and young people’s experiences of social relationships and health concerns during COVID-19
PurposeTo illuminate the meaning of social relationships and health concerns as experienced by adolescents and young people during the COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsA longitudinal qualitative study was conducted. Data reported from 172 adolescents and young people aged 12–24 years in five countries; Chile, South Africa, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States collected from May 2020 to June 2021 were analysed via thematic analysis.ResultsAdolescents and young peoples’ experiences of social relationships and health concerns were described in seven themes: Family proximity, conflicts and frustration; difficulties and challenges related to limited living space; peer relations and maintaining friendship in times of social distancing; the importance of school as a place for interaction; vulnerability, emotional distress and uncertainty about the future; health concerns and sense of caring for others; and worries and concerns related to financial hardship. These reports show that the changes to everyday life that were introduced by public responses to the pandemic generated feelings of loneliness, vulnerability, and emotional distress, as well as increased sense of togetherness with family.ConclusionsThe everyday lives of adolescents and young people were restricted and affected more by the consequences of the pandemic than by the COVID-19 virus. These experiences had various impacts on well-being and mental health, where some individuals felt more exposed and vulnerable to emotional distress and loneliness than others. Family and peer relationships could be protective and support a sense of togetherness and belonging. Hence, social relationships are important to provide emotional support. Support for adolescents and young people should be tailored accordingly around social and emotional concerns, to encourage health and well-being.
Journal Article
Shared Parental Leave: Exploring Variations in Attitudes, Eligibility, Knowledge and Take-up Intentions of Expectant Mothers in London
In April 2015, the UK introduced Shared Parental Leave (SPL), allowing mothers to transfer their maternity leave to their partners from two weeks after the birth or adoption of a child. There has been very limited research conducted on this leave policy to date and knowledge on take-up is poor. We present findings from an in-depth survey conducted with expectant mothers in two NHS trusts in England on their knowledge, views and plans around leave after the birth of their child and examine variations across educational and ethnic groups. A total of 575 expectant mothers took part in the survey. Around 7.4 per cent of expectant mothers who were (self-)employed or in education intended to take SPL. Finances and worries over fathers’ careers were cited as the primary barriers to take up of SPL. Individual entitlement for fathers and knowing others who took SPL increased individuals’ reported intention to take SPL. Applying logistic regression models, we found that knowledge of and access to SPL is correlated with education, ethnicity and home ownership. Future research and policy design should attend to such issues to ensure equitable access across families.
Journal Article
Love and desire amongst middle-class Gujarati Indians in the UK and India
The paper describes findings from an ethnographic study exploring understandings of love and intimacy amongst young heterosexual middle-class Indians of Gujarati origin in the UK and India. A two-site comparative study was used to enable an understanding of how social and economic contexts shape cultural constructions of intimate relationships and sexuality. Focusing on attitudes to 'love at first sight', this paper shows that, for Indian participants, love based on physical attraction denotes a lesser kind of love. A relationship based on 'physical love' is not expected to last, since it has been formed without regard to family and status concerns. Even couples who meet outside of the arranged marriage system demonstrate the quality of their love by not having sex with one another before marriage. In the UK, however, participants view love as properly spontaneous. Love at first sight is considered desirable and demonstrates how the relationship must be based on love only, without any concern for (for example) material gain. This spontaneous love entails both physical attraction and emotional connection - an early transition to sex, usually before marriage, was seen as both desirable and inevitable.
Journal Article
Negotiating Respectability: Comparing the experiences of poor and middle-class young urban women in India
This article draws together two studies: one that explores the intimate relationships of young slum-dwelling Dalit women in Mumbai and the other of young middle-class women in Baroda, Gujarat. Using an intersectional lens, we trace the ways that gendered ideals of respectability shape women's freedom of movement and relationships. The comparison produces new insights into the ways that class, caste, and location cut across gender to shape young women's lives in India. We argue that the distinctive positionings of the women structure the ways in which they react to gender norms and the means with which they strategize around them. Middle-class young women strike a ‘passive bargain’, upholding ideals of respectability by shoring up symbolic capital for a ‘good’ marriage and class privilege. The Dalit women show more active resistance to an ideal that they struggle to achieve, despite heavy control and surveillance over their movement and relationships. However, contrary to previous research, we show that both groups are beholden and lay claim to similar gendered and intimate ideals.
Journal Article
‘Er, not the best time’: methodological and ethical challenges of researching family life during a pandemic
That the COVID-19 pandemic has had an impact on families and relationships hardly needs reiterating. For the first time in the post-industrialised era, the main institutions of social life (including education, care and work) have largely been pushed into the home, exposing ever further the inequalities (such as gender and generation) around which family life revolves – as well as making clear the huge variation in what the definition of a ‘home’, or indeed a ‘family’, is. In this short piece, we share some reflections from a project investigating the impact of the pandemic on family life – Families and Community in a Time of Covid – and discuss some of the methodological and ethical quandaries that it has provoked.
Journal Article
Palliative care education in neonatal units: impact on knowledge and attitudes
Objective To facilitate improved and earlier access to palliative care for babies, a 4-h workshop on the principles, practice and resources in palliative care was delivered in 21 neonatal units across London. This paper assesses the impact of these workshops. Design As part of mixed methods, processual evaluation of a series of education workshops, a pre and post survey instrument was developed, consisting of open and closed questions assessing knowledge of services and attitudes towards palliative care. Before and after each workshop attendees were invited to complete the survey. Setting Neonatal units in hospitals across London, including examples of intensive care, high dependency and special care units. Results 331 healthcare professionals attended the sessions, and 264 (80%) completed questionnaires. The majority of attendees were experienced neonatal nurses working in neonatal intensive care (61% more than 7 years) but with limited experience of palliative care services. Over 79% of respondents reported that the workshop completely met their learning needs. Post-session 80% of respondents felt confident referring to palliative care services, compared with 46% before (p<0.001). Analysis of open and closed text responses revealed a shift in attitude after the sessions from a focus on dying/end-of-life, towards integrating palliative care as part of a holistic treatment plan. Conclusions A short (half day), locally delivered workshop can change attitudes and increase knowledge in neonatal staff. Such a workshop can serve as a first step in facilitating access to and utilisation of a variety of palliative care services.
Journal Article