The Maternal Guilt of Working Latina Mothers: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

There is a lack of research on the maternal guilt of working Latina mothers. A grounded theory methodology study on this topic was conducted with 12 Latina mothers in the South Central region of the United States. Data analysis revealed five themes: the Compensatory Parenting Trap (parenting behaviors that attempt to make up for the absence of mothers by indulging their children in ways that violate cultural norms), Proximity Desire (a yearning to be physically close in location to one’s children to compensate for guilt from separation), Ultimate Caregiver Comparison (the deifying of past generations of self-sacrificing family members as superior mothers against whom Latina mothers deem themselves failures), Familismo Paradox (the attempt to honor conflicting cultural norms to be a self-sacrificing mother who is also educated and financially secure), and Redefining Cultural Norms (reaction to the violation of cultural norms among working Latina mothers that involves expanding cultural expectations of gender in parenting). Results indicated that working Latina mothers face double binds in gender and cultural expectations that contribute to feelings of maternal guilt, as reflected in the above themes. Latina mothers demonstrate resilience in responding to this tension by restructuring cultural norms to alleviate guilt and protect their children from inheriting the same stressors.