Negotiating parenting practices: the arguments and justifications of Finnish couples

This article explores Finnish different-sex couples’ ( n = 12) negotiations on their parental division of labour. Theoretically, the is based literature gendered parenting practices and relational negotiations. Our discourse analysis reveals how couples produced ‘togetherness’ ‘our family’ by representing care as agreements, irrespective whether was described equally shared or distinctly gendered. Disagreements reflecting more individualistic tones, mainly resulting from mothers’ sense unfairness, were especially foregrounded when distribution household duties discussed. The also revealed men cited involved fatherhood a justification for lesser responsibility housework, while women sought to reconcile contradictory discourses equal mother’s primacy. results show personal wishes preferences, work life, family policies cultural are reflected in moral identities pertaining ‘good’ motherhood fatherhood.