Chaque père doit trouver sa vraie place d homme et de père responsable : Discourses of fatherhood in pregnancy advice texts.

This article reports on an investigation of discourses of fatherhood in pregnancy advice texts in English and in French. In particular, it focuses on the construction of gender identity in this discourse through an examination of the representation of fathers and the positioning of pregnant women in relation to them. It suggests that these texts are gendered through the identification of discourses which affirm traditional positions of men as protectors and Heads of Family, and construct pregnant women as passive recipients of their reassurance and protection. The article examines the lexical items and grammatical patterns which characterize these discourses and ultimately demonstrates that the discourse of pregnancy advice texts upholds hegemonic masculinity and reaffirms patriarchal privilege in a manner acceptable to contemporary social norms.