The world has increasingly been accessible through and lived in online spaces. The dispersion of traditional familial units and parenting support "villages", incentivises new parents to seek guidance and perform parenting in cyber/spaces (O'Connor, 2005). These shifts in how information is accessed profoundly shape parenting experiences and disrupt the international policy instructions for how maternal care professionals should guide parents' infant feeding decision-making. Current policies reflect a Foucauldian (2003) Clinic model, whose relevance is diminished or reinforced by helpful and harmful cyber/spaces. The unregulated exchange of information within cyber/spaces influences interpretations of personal parenting journeys, infant feeding decision-making, gender-informed expectations of parenting identities, and workloads. These experiences are shaped by and are shaping gendered expectations, feelings of self-determination, and how meaning is derived. A source of tension exists for parents between the Foucaudian Clinic mindset governing how maternal care professionals are permitted to interact with their patients and the cyber/spaces' ability to subvert the traditional expectations the policy upholds. As the policy frameworks become increasingly at odds with how parents live, this case study examines the impacts of the policy and antagonism on intersectional identities and how these conflicting spaces can be drawn back towards mutual harmony and social benefit.

Authors:
Michaela Ganzevles, Lincoln University, New Zealand

About the Presenter(s)
Dr Michaela Ganzevles is a researcher in the social sciences and humanities. She has a passion for understanding the lived experiences and implications of social and public policy frameworks and implementations.

See this presentation on the full schedule – Monday Schedule

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