ABSTRACT
Fairy tales have portrayed the role of the stepmother in an unambiguous and negative way. The Chinese were the first to introduce Cinderella around the ninth century. Today fairy tales with an evil stepmother are known all around the world. Research has mostly compared stepmothers to stepfathers, with the latter being the norm. The emphasis has been on differences between the two roles, how the stepparents or parents experience the stepparent role. All members of the stepfamily household of five years and more are interviewed separately. In all sixty-three persons are interviewed in Oslo, Norway. The sample is recruited using a strategic sampling procedure, from a non-clinical population with the assistance of Health Centers. The reconstructors have a notion of reconstructing a family similar to the one they had before, except that the partner is a different person. The idea of the children being the parents’ responsibility is insufficient when it comes to caring.
