ABSTRACT

In this chapter I examine the background stories of ten women I am calling ‘revolving mothers’ including their education, employment and relationship profiles, the transition to motherhood and the division of labour established in their households prior to leaving. I adopt both a thematic and case study approach, which means the accounts presented concentrate on individual mothers and their specific biographical details, while also being structured according to key themes that emerged across the interviews and which speak to the existing sociological research. The participants vary in many respects, including how they came to be mothers, whether they are married, single or de facto, the age at which they had their first child and their occupations. However, they share two common features. First, all have chosen careers or creative pursuits that take them away from home (and thus partners and children). Second, they have done so for periods of time that exceed the standard work day – ranging from several nights to several months – which has, in turn, forced changes to the gendered organisation of their households. To accommodate these changes, key reconstructions of the domestic division of labour took place. In this chapter I examine two key themes that emerged from revolving mothers’ stories: (1) individualised partnering and parenting practices; and (2) traditionalisation and its discontents.