I received my B.A. in comparative literature and gender studies from the University of Iceland in 2005. I completed my M.A. in gender studies from the University of Leeds in 2008 and my Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Iceland in 2017.
©Kristinn Ingvarsson
The objective of my Ph.D study was to gain a better understanding of dominant discourses on mothering in Iceland, and to contribute to international scientific dialogue on motherhood and experiences of mothering. Specifically, the goal was to examine how the discursive marker of “good mothering” regulates and disciplines mothers and if, and how, resistance to normalizing techniques is enacted and experienced by individuals. This was achieved by collecting three data-sets: 40 interviews with midwives, pregnant women and first-time mothers; documentary analysis of the three leading Icelandic websites that provide information about pregnancy, birth, breastfeeding and care; and 77 personal narratives from Icelandic mothers who had encountered problems with breastfeeding.
I am currently joint PI of the FIBI project - Fertility intentions and behaviour in Iceland: The role of policies and parenting culture that received a Grant of Excellence from the Icelandic Research Fund. My work package within that project focuses on fertility intentions and behaviour in Iceland. The goal is to understand the decision-making process underlying the choice to have a child and explore how gendered parenting ideologies and circumstances affect decisions regarding the timing and number of children. The ongoing study will shed light on how individuals and couples make decisions on becoming parents and family size and what they perceive as the rewards or deterrents of parenthood. The study will also explore what influences the fertility choices of individuals and how dominant discourses of motherhood and fatherhood are constructed and negotiated.
My research has been published in various journals, including The Sociological Review, Social Policy and Society and Social Science & Medicine. I have presented my work at various international conferences including the Nordic Sociological Association Conference and European Sociological Association Conference.
I am on the board of the Nordic Sociological Association and the Icelandic Sociological Association. I am also an associate at the Centre for Parenting Culture based at the University of Kent.
During the summer of 2023 I am an Honorary Research Fellow at the IOE - Social Resarch Institute at UCL in London.
When I am not working I enjoy reading novels, travelling and spending time with family and friends.
Find me on twitter.
