The discourse of benevolent paternalism in the introduction to The Baby Book

Abstract

This study utilized the perspective of critical discourse analysis to examine the introductory chapter of the third edition of the Searses’ seminal book on attachment parenting, The Baby Book. Focused mainly on the use of language within the text by parenting “experts,” a qualitative approach was taken to elucidate the text within its historical and cultural context. Throughout the analysis, we found that despite endorsing practices that counter the standard parenting advice, The Baby Book discourse remains firmly placed in the tradition of benevolent paternalism. Our analysis revealed how values surrounding parenting are constructed and reconstructed within a parenting manual by enforcing traditional gender roles. This text continues in the historical tradition of parenting “experts” using language to reinforce the dominant discourse around parenting practices, including gender role reinforcement.