"We weren't created to do it by ourselves" : good mothering and maternal support across race, class, and family structure.

Mothering/motherhood;maternal support;intersecitionality;race;class;family

Cheryl Lynn Crane

University:University of Louisville

Department:Sociology

关键词: Mothering/motherhood;    maternal support;    intersecitionality;    race;    class;    family;   

Others  :  https://ir.library.louisville.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3649&context=etd

美国|英语

来源: The Universite of Louisville's Institutional Repository

【 摘 要 】

Maternal support contributes to maternal and child well-being, yet not all mothers incorporate support into their maternal practices. Most research on mothering standards and practices in the U.S. focuses on white, middle-class, married mothers. This study expands upon this research by incorporating an intersectional lens to explore how mothers interpret standards of “good mothering” across race, class, and family structure. I conducted a mixed-method evaluation of a nonprofit program offering peer-based maternal support to mothers of color, lower-income mothers, and single mothers; 41 in-depth interviews with mothers to learn why maternal support resonated with some, but not all, mothers; and an in-depth focus group interview with the founders of the peer-based support program. Employing systems-centered intersectionality (Choo and Ferree 2010) and multi-institutional politics (Armstrong and Bernstein 2008), I found that some lower-income, single mothers practiced the parenting style “nurtured growth,” allowing them to supplement their limited income and physical and emotional presence with free and low-cost resources from public institutions (e.g., schools, churches, parks). Some other lower-income, single, mothers of color resisted normative parenting practices rooted in self-sacrifice by practicing “empowered mothering.” This practice incorporated self-care and mother-centric support systems to challenge race-based interpretations of good mothering. Finally, the theme “cultural mismatch” explains the difficulty faced by the nonprofit organization in attracting mothers of color and single mothers. I argue that racial, economic, and marital variations in maternal standards, practices, and support rendered the program’s curriculum incompatible with its intended participants. I conclude by offering recommendations for this and other maternal support programs.