Too old to parent? Discursive representations of late parenting in the British press

Ylanne, Virpi ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9042-5501 2016. Too old to parent? Discursive representations of late parenting in the British press. Discourse and Communication 10 (2) , pp. 176-197. 10.1177/1750481315611242

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Abstract

Focusing on a corpus of 90 UK newspaper articles (2008-2013) on late parenting (40+), this study examines the framing via different dimensions of age in the press coverage of such parents and parenting. Five main frames emerged: social change; personal frame; risks of late parenting; older continued parenting; and reproductive technology enabled parenting. The relationship of these framings to the discursive construction of ageing and late parenting reveals varying positionings of older parents that tend to reinforce, but also at times challenge, conventional expectations of ‘age-appropriate’ timing of reproduction, especially regarding women. Media Framing Analysis, critical discourse analysis and a social constructionist orientation to age(ing) and lifespan identity are drawn on in the analysis. The study also highlights how framing, as a concept from communication theory, together with different perspectives to ageing and different dimensions of age, can complement discourse analysis of news texts.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	English, Communication and Philosophy
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General) H Social Sciences > HQ The family. Marriage. Woman P Language and Literature > PB Modern European Languages P Language and Literature > PE English
Uncontrolled Keywords:	lifespan identity, age, parenting, news discourse, representation, media framing analysis, critical discourse analysis, motherhood, fatherhood, UK
Additional Information:	PDF uploaded in accordance with publisher's policies at http://www.sherpa.ac.uk/romeo/issn/1750-4813/ (accessed 19.11.15).
Publisher:	SAGE
ISSN:	1750-4813
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	4 April 2016
Date of Acceptance:	10 August 2015
Last Modified:	26 Nov 2024 23:30
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/81584

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