A Literature Review of Cultural Stereotypes Associated with Motherhood and Fatherhood

In many societies, the iconic image of the family is that of a White, American middle-class, first-marriage nuclear family with two heterosexual parents and biological children. Research, however, has often neglected the complexity that exists within specific populations, particularly the impact of racial and ethnic diversity. The current review explores how motherhood and fatherhood, outside of the dominant North American cultural discourse, have been stereotyped in the research literature over the past decade. While results show few singularities in studies relating to fatherhood stereotypes, singularities in the findings associated with motherhood stereotypes are more abundant.