Stockholms universitet

Petra Roll BennetUniversitetslektor

Om mig

Petra Roll Bennet has researched and published on questions to do with parenting and care and have particular research interests in intimate relationships and personal life. These issues have been studied in research projects aimed at focus on parents' experiences of children's allergic conditions, on parenting children who are diagnosed as obese and, in co-operation with Helena Bergström, parents of young adults with a trans identity. A theme in these studies is the responsibility and care for children's health and development. She has also worked in a project on migrant parenting. Currently, Petra is working on a project on cosmetic surgery, "Body and Relationships", with a particular focus on breast augmentation.

Undervisning

Primarily Petra teaches courses in social psychology, developmental psychology and scientific methods, with a special interest in research interviewing.

Forskningsprojekt

Publikationer

I urval från Stockholms universitets publikationsdatabas

  • Parts of Me-Relational Risks and Possible Outcomes When Sharing the Decision to Have a Breast Augmentation: A Study of a Swedish Online Forum

    2022. Petra Roll Bennet. Journal of contemporary ethnography 51 (3), 435-458

    Artikel

    A female body part that gains much attention is breasts, and globally, the image of women’s breasts is a “perfect breast.” In order to attain this “perfection,” and for personal reasons, women can decide to augment their breasts by surgery. Despite the cosmetic industry’s increasing popularity, sharing this decision with family and friends can be associated with doubts and worries. This study aims to identify anticipated outcomes when telling close persons about the surgery. Analysis of posts on a Swedish online forum suggests that anticipated reactions include hopes of being accepted and fears of being viewed differently. Aligning with Cooleys “looking-glass self,” it is argued that women see themselves through the imagined eyes of others, and judgment creates feelings of either pride or shame. Breast augmentation seems to be associated with double oppression: first, from surrounding ideals about the perfect breast, and second, from associated shame manifested in social relationships.

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  • A mother's work is never done

    2018. Petra Roll Bennet. Families, Relationships and Societies 7 (3), 399-413

    Artikel

    Migrant mothers' kin work is an important and growing research field. This article takes migrant women's experiences of bringing up their children as a departure point to describe the strategies utilised by mothers to care for their children. With findings drawn from eight interviews with migrant mothers in Sweden whose children are now teenagers, the analysis focuses on the mothers' supporting strategies in caring for their children in present and future lives. Identified supporting measures involving kin work included being attentive to their children's schooling, taking care of their families and giving their children time and intimacy. An additional theme concerning mothers' own 'life projects' and the 'sacrifice' of their own education and opportunities is discussed.

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  • Displaying parental responsibility for childhood obesity

    2015. Petra Roll Bennet, Helena Bergström. Families, Relationships and Societies 4 (1), 19-33

    Artikel

    Childhood obesity is a much-debated health issue in Sweden as well as worldwide. Considerable emphasis is given to the prevention of excessive weight gain and obesity in early childhood, for example by providing lifestyle advice to parents. Based on interviews with Swedish parents of obese children aged between eight and 12, in this article parent narratives of everyday practices in relation to children’s diet and exercise habits are analysed as acts of ‘displaying normality’. The results show that explanations as to why it is difficult to manage the child’s weight appear to be connected to avoiding the risk of the child receiving negative attention and issues relating to the child’s own responsibility. These findings are discussed in terms of ‘displaying family normality’.

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