Burke and Cast (1997), for example, doc-
umented the changes in the meanings of the
gender identities of newlywed husbands and
wives that occur with the birth of their first
child. This birth represents a change of mean-
ings in the environment (a disturbance in the
model) that persists and is not countered eas-
ily. Under these conditions, Burke and Cast
found that husbands’ gender identity became
somewhat more masculine over the year fol-
lowing the child’s birth, while that of wives
became somewhat more feminine. The pres-
ence of a child changed the meanings in the
interactional setting in a way that was not
easily changed back or countered;