Parents en cohabitat. Vers une parentalité élargie ?

Abstract

Through a qualitative research on two cohousing projects in the Brussels Region, this paper investigates the conditions of parenthood reconfigurations. In line with feminist studies, parenthood is assessed through the lens of conciliating productive, reproductive and social/community roles, and housing is hence understood as a workspace related to childcare. Several strategies are developed in cohousing project to address this conciliation of parental roles, such as mutualisation, externalisation, distribution and valorisation of chores related to childcare. These strategies, developed through the co-presence of the inhabitants, the appropriation and co-management of shared spaces and services, seem to produce a new figure of an "extended" parenthood.

Keywords

• parenthood
• cohousing
• conciliation
• mutualisation
• extended parenthood