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Alternative Families Social Change: An interdisciplinary and cross-national study

Objective

Single mothers by choice constitute an alternative to dominant notions of family. The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (2015) found that there has been a 226% increase in the number of women choosing to go through IVF alone in the UK since 2006. The number has increased fourfold in Spain in the last seven years. This study will examine alternative motherhood constituted through in the UK and in Spain and will investigate four interconnected themes: a) being a mother and being mothered are both permeated with socio-cultural, political, economic and psychological significance as everyone has an interest in the social organisation of motherhood, although these interests vary; b) at the same time inequalities involving ethnicity, class and sexual orientation, can be particularly powerful in relationship to mothering; and c) the struggle over the question of how best to reorganise social institutions, such as workplaces and schools, so that they adjust to mothering, women´s freedom and equal opportunity.
Ethnographic methods will be used to construct a more holistic understanding of the complexities of politics, policy and power from an interdisciplinary perspective. This study will broaden our knowledge of the ways in which discourses of mothering and motherhood both shape and are shaped by various practices, constraints and experiences cross-nationally. There is little research on the connection between gender ideology and family structure, specifically single mothers by choice, therefore this study will address whether motherhood may be a site for social change for women so that they raise children who do not conform to gendered expectations and stereotypes that are damaging to children and to society. This research is relevant to H2020 Societal Challenges 6 and 7, as it will examine the international gender dimension of motherhood and social change as well as exploring what gender equality means and entails across two European countries.

Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)

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Programme(s)

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Topic(s)

Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.

Funding Scheme

Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.

MSCA-IF-EF-ST - Standard EF

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Call for proposal

Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.

(opens in new window) H2020-MSCA-IF-2017

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Coordinator

UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON
Net EU contribution

Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.

€ 195 454,80
Address
GOWER STREET
WC1E 6BT LONDON
United Kingdom

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Region
London Inner London — West Camden and City of London
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
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Total cost

The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.

€ 195 454,80
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