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Stepmothers often battle with a range of negative myths and stereotypes, with Cinderella’s wicked stepmother being the most infamous.
Drawing on 20 in-depth interviews with British stepmothers, this book reimagines the expectations, practices and position of stepmothers through a feminist sociological lens. Combining firsthand accounts, including the author’s own experiences, the book reveals the complexities of stepfamily dynamics and how stepmothers navigate them.
By examining the interplay between personal experiences and broader gendered, historical and social structures, the author offers a fresh perspective on contemporary stepmothers and stepfamilies.
“Patrycja Sosnowska-Buxton provides a beautifully crafted, ground-breaking, analysis of the myths, stereotypes, and very importantly, the lived experience of stepmothers/mothering.” Gayle Letherby, University of Plymouth, University of Greenwich and University of Bath
1. Introduction: ‘Mirror, Mirror on the Wall…’
2. Theorizing Stepmothers
3. Stepmothers and Stepfamilies in European Histories and Family Law(s)
4. Reimagining Stepmothers, Stepmotherhoods and Stepmotherings
5. Stepmothers’ Kinwork In/for Wider and Multigenerational Stepfamily
6. Unorthodox Ways of Doing Stepfamily
7. Conclusion: Stepmothers Reimagined