Becoming a mum: conflict between the ideal mother and the self

Abstract

This paper explores the dominant narratives present in in-depth ante- and post- natal interviews with 10 first time mothers from south-east Queensland. Using a feminist post-structuralist paradigm, the idealised conceptions of motherhood adopted by these women are juxtaposed against their desires to maintain and regain an identity separate to their mothering one. Beliefs about what constitutes 'work' are also explored. These findings resonate with the tension between second-wave feminism’s view of the institution of motherhood as a primary means of women’s oppression, and later studies which attempted to validate women’s experiences and work. Furthermore, these mothers’ beliefs suggest that they are grappling with the integration of the often contradictory aspects of mothering into a workable whole. In some ways, repeating many of the struggles their own mothers faced. This hypothesis, along with current societal concerns with delayed mothering, picketfence families, and a return to paid work for mothers of school-aged children, suggest that the influences upon mothers, to be all things to all people remains.