Stepmothering Stepchildren

Abstract

Traditionally the position of stepmothers is seen as more problematic than that of stepfathers, largely because standard gender divisions within households typically result in stepmothers having greater responsibility for, and involvement in, childcare and domestic matters. Yet as indicated in the case illustrations in Chapter 3, in practice there is a good deal of variation in the relationships that develop between step mothers and their stepchildren. Many factors are reported as influencing the patterning of these ties — some concerned primarily with internal household dynamics, some more with aspects of individual personality and biography and some with family relationships external to the household. Moreover the character of any stepmother–stepchild relationship will alter over time, both through the relationship becoming more established and as a result of childhood transitions. Often research has focussed quite appropriately on stepmother–stepchild relationships in dependent phases of childhood, but how the relationship develops in the younger generation’s adulthood is, in kinship terms, also of interest. Before discussing these issues more generally, consider again here the case illustrations we introduced earlier.