Mothering (In) Context

I am so thrilled to be able to announce my first presentation on the Mothering Contexts Study will be tomorrow! I will explore the following questions:

Does motherhood define how mothers view themselves?

Does mothering frame other areas of mothers’ lives?

What is the relationship between the spheres, roles, and activities women encounter outside of motherhood and both their maternal practices and maternal identities?

I discuss how mothering is both a frame and a window. Mothers' experiences of being a mom take place in particular social contexts and mothering itself is contextual. In this way, I explore how mothering frames women's lives. Women make their own interpretations of the places and spaces through which they mother, and therefore rather than simply a frame that limits and puts borders on women's experiences, a mothering context is also a window, viewed differently by different mothers. More on all this to come!!

This is the first opportunity I have had to formally share my early findings in an academic and public forum. It is very exciting. I will post more later on how the talk was received.

Thanks to all who have participated - 163 participants were included in my analysis (166 to date). I appreciate you entrusting me with sharing your voice.