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In the systemic approach, the transition to parenthood is seen as a time of crisis requiring a reorganization of the family system. The changes accompanying this transition are accounted for by a relatively autonomous regulation of intra-family dynamics, a perspective which shortcomings have been highlighted by systemic therapists and sociologists. Indeed, research indicate that the distribution of roles adopted within the parental couple largely reflects explicit or implicit social constraints. Our hypothesis is that their contradictory nature reveals a social double bind. On one hand, a distribution of roles conceived as a free choice within their private sphere and responsibility. On the other hand, an institutional environment that promotes the adoption of gendered family practices. This contradiction in social and institutional expectations regarding the transition to parenthood contributes to a situation of family tensions that may leads families to seek psychotherapeutic support. Our perspective is illustrated in this article by a couple seen in the context of a clinical consultation service in French-speaking Switzerland.