My Motherhood, My Way: A Sociological Study of Contemporary Employed Mothers in Kolkata

Title

My Motherhood, My Way: A Sociological Study of Contemporary Employed Mothers in Kolkata

Creator

Bhaumik S.; Sahu S.

Description

Motherhood in India has been understood primarily by placing mothers in the domestic space. A mother is constructed as a protector and the complete caregiver of her children. But there have been significant changes in the status of Indian women recently. In the 21st century, with suitable qualifications and employment opportunities, women have the choice to be economically independent and career-driven, which has a profound impact on their roles and responsibilities as protectors and caregivers in the home. It is essential to study and document how women in this generation have started to redefine their roles and negotiate what a mothers duties are at home. This study aims to make a systematic inquiry to understand the issues and challenges faced by employed mothers in everyday life and how they balance their career and childcare activities. Researchers investigate this through a qualitative study on mothers employed in different types of professions in the city of Kolkata. Data was collected by conducting in-depth interviews of around twenty-nine urban, upper-middle class employed mothers from different professional backgrounds to have a set of diverse narratives about their experiences and struggles. The key findings of this study provide an insight into the challenges that mothers face and their balancing mechanisms. Such studies have the scope to motivate many employed mothers by presenting some cases of women who have succeeded in breaking the stereotypical ideas of motherhood and are redefining their stories in more humane terms. 2021. Journal of International Womens Studies.

Source

Journal of International Women's Studies, Vol-22, No. 6, pp. 66-75.

Date

2021-01-01

Publisher

Bridgewater State College

Subject

Grounded Theory; In-depth interview; Matricentric feminism; Motherhood; Work-life balance

Coverage

Bhaumik S., Christ University, Bangalore, India; Sahu S., Sociology at Christ University, Bangalore, India

Rights

Restricted Access

Relation

ISSN: 15398706

Format

Online

Language

English

Type

Article

Identifier

https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85111519395&partnerID=40&md5=a95ce39bed4fc8cdf547079a458c287a