Conceptualizing motherhood in a context of inequality and vulnerability: Experiences of being a mother after a troubled upbringing

Abstract

Applying qualitative data from a 30‐year longitudinal study, this article examines how 15 women coming from vulnerable families reflect on themselves as mothers. Three analytical themes were identified: (a) current and past expectations, (b) having someone to lean on as a mother and (c) experiences with child welfare services. The findings exemplify how these women’s histories are woven together with contemporary discursive understandings about motherhood, and how often conflicting emotions from their own childhoods affect their self-representations as mothers. Attention is paid to the phenomena of motherhood, which is understood as inaccessible solely through language and is thus examined through the lens of psychosocial theories. The findings apply to both theoretical and practical social work, conceptualizing the complexities of motherhood.