The Condensed Courtship Clock

How Elite Women Manage Self-development and Marriage Ideals

Bibliographic Data

ID2423716
AuthorsKatherine Fallon (0000-0001-9574-0500), Katherine F Fallon (0000-0002-4492-6871, University of Wisconsin–Madison), C Stockstill (0000-0002-5017-9235, University of Wisconsin–Madison, corresponding author)
Year2018
Volume4
Publication date2018-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueSocius Sociological Research for a Dynamic World (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2378-0231 • E-ISSN: 2378-0231
PublisherSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1177/2378023117753485
OpenAlexW2791024237
LanguageEN
Citations received9
References cited42

As elite, heterosexual women delay marriage, complete higher education, and pursue high-status careers, are they able to de-center the other-oriented roles of wife and mother in their lives? Using in-depth interviews with 33 single, college-educated women, the authors examine how elite women balance expectations for self-development and family formation. Participants constructed a timeline with three phases: the self-development phase, the readiness moment, and the push to partner. Women's initial focus on self-development ends with a shift toward feeling ready to search for a spouse. Classed norms for family formation and a perceived biological deadline for childbearing leave a narrow window to achieve family goals. The authors call this narrow window the condensed courtship clock. The clock results in self-scrutiny and third-party policing for women who are off schedule. The class advantages that allow elite women to engage in concerted self-development after college come with intense classed and gendered expectations for family formation

Courtship · Elite · Feeling · Political science · Sociology · Spouse · Timeline · Wife · Attachment and Relationship Dynamics · Family Dynamics and Relationships · Gender Studies · History · Law · Psychology · Social Psychology · Work-Family Balance Challenges

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