The course opens with a discussion of demographic transitions and presents a general question regarding fertility as a social phenomenon, rather than a biological one. It then turns its focus to a critical discussion of the concept of childhood, and its change through time. The second part discusses the concept of parenthood and presents theories regarding the altering meanings of motherhood and fatherhood, and looks at different issues such as parenthood and the job market and bereaved mothers in the Israeli society. 

Arguing that childhood and parenthood are social concepts which differ across time and space, the course presents seminal studies in this field, with a special focus on Jewish and Israeli culture from medieval times up to the present.