‘A trend toward what’s been called “intensive” (Hays, 1996) or “paranoid” (Furedi, 2002) parenting has been widely observed by scholars working on family life in a range of geographical contexts. It is this concept which underpins all of our work and is explored in detail in the first chapter of our book. One of the central features of intensive parenting is its individuated focus on the parent-child relation. As well as considering the relation between the rise of ‘parenting’ and how this influences understandings of ‘family’, an important area for research is the workings of other dimensions of kinship and community, including education. We explored this through collaborative projects with colleagues working in Norway, France and Denmark as well as in projects looking at the impact of the pandemic on family life. You can read our research on this as well as other aspects of intensive parenting below.

Read on:

The ‘helicopter parent’ and the paradox of intensive parenting in the 21st century 

“Helicopter parents”, higher education, and ambivalent adulthood.  

Changing parenting, changing childhood? 

COVID labour: Making a ‘livable’ life under lockdown 

Parenting and Social Solidarity in cross-cultural perspective 

Reporting the Riots: Parenting Culture and the Problem of Authority in Media Analysis of August 2011

Making up for lost time: University students’ quest to reclaim missed opportunities while adjusting to post-Covid life in higher education 

‘The more you go to the mountains, the better parent you are’. Migrant parents in Norway navigating risk discourses in professional advice on family leisure and outdoor play 

Projects investigating these questions:

• • Parenting in global perspective
  • Childhood, wellbeing and parenting 
  • Parenting, childhood and adult-child relations in global perspective