"In the pregnancy process I have come to realize how much of the burden is on the female partner. She's got a construction zone going on in her belly"
About this Quote
The “burden” language does two things at once. It acknowledges the obvious asymmetry - one partner’s body becomes the site of risk, pain, fatigue, nausea, medical surveillance, and public commentary - while also subtly admitting how easy it is for the non-pregnant partner to miss that imbalance until it’s personal. There’s a quiet confession embedded in the realization: he didn’t fully get it before.
Then he drops the metaphor that makes the quote work: “a construction zone.” It’s comedic, accessible, and slightly crude in a way that fits an entertainer, not an academic. Construction implies noise, disruption, restricted access, safety hazards, and constant work behind temporary walls. It also implies value - you tolerate the mess because something is being built. The joke invites men and non-gestational partners in without lecturing them, while still centering the person doing the physical labor.
Context matters: as a mainstream TV figure, Roker is modeling a kind of casual, public empathy that has become its own cultural performance. The line plays as supportive, but it also exposes how low the bar can be for male partners: awe at the “construction” can sometimes substitute for grappling with the unequal costs that continue long after the baby arrives.
Quote Details
| Topic | New Mom |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Roker, Al. (2026, January 15). In the pregnancy process I have come to realize how much of the burden is on the female partner. She's got a construction zone going on in her belly. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/in-the-pregnancy-process-i-have-come-to-realize-61628/
Chicago Style
Roker, Al. "In the pregnancy process I have come to realize how much of the burden is on the female partner. She's got a construction zone going on in her belly." FixQuotes. January 15, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/in-the-pregnancy-process-i-have-come-to-realize-61628/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"In the pregnancy process I have come to realize how much of the burden is on the female partner. She's got a construction zone going on in her belly." FixQuotes, 15 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/in-the-pregnancy-process-i-have-come-to-realize-61628/. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.








