A comparison of two motherhood stages: Experience, practice and meaning.

Motherhood is ubiquitous. It is the commonness of this phenomenon that masks its importance and complexity. This research study used a modified grounded theory approach to examine how women construct motherhood, how motherhood evolves over time and to develop a greater understanding of the everyday occupation of mothering. Semi-structured, in-depth interviews with forty women at two stages of motherhood: (1) mothers of preschool age children and (2) mothers of young adult age children were conducted. Four additional mothers of non-biological children, two stepmothers and two adoptive mothers were interviewed to test the boundaries of the research findings. Six themes were generated from the participant interviews and field notes. These themes were found across both stages of motherhood. However, there were distinct variations in these themes. Mothering preschool children and mothering young adult children are fundamentally different. Both mothers and the needs of children are different at these two stages. Several factors (cohort, age of mother, age became mother) were found to influence motherhood image and practice. These factors are discussed in this study. The findings of this study highlight the importance of mother work. Mothering is more than just the caretaking of children. Mothering encompasses nurturing and teaching activities as well. Moreover, motherhood image and practice has multiple influences, which are discussed in this study.Ph.D.Individual and family studiesSocial SciencesSocial researchWomen's studiesUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/131648/2/9929824.pd