Annelik Deneyimleri: Gerilimler, Mücadeleler ve Uzlaşmalar
Özet
In this study, In this study, the viewpoints and experiences of 32 women from diverse
backgrounds have been studied to develop a perspective on the place of motherhood in the
construction of femininity. Emotional investments made in motherhood and idealised values
associated with this identity, the ordinary activities of daily life and routine "maternity
chores" were evaluated descriptively. Based on the values, habits, beliefs, feelings and
prejudices that are harboured within the motherhood experience, it is aimed to contact that is
social and cultural. The roles and responsibilities encompassed by the mother identity, which
generates radical changes on female subjectivity, are steadily increasing. As the gap between
idealised and experienced motherhood widens, being a mother becomes wearisome and
oppressive, triggering feelings of inadequacy, anxiety and guilt. Furthermore, the societal
dimension of motherhood, along with the “approved” motherhood discourse, can be
perceived as a source of pressure for women when they assess their own experiences of
motherhood. The biopolitics of power, neoliberal market values, individualistic and
competitive social structure, conservative tendencies have been the main components of
the the “approved” motherhood discourse. The emotions evoked by the adjectives such as
compassion, selflessness and self-sacrifice that stick to mother identity, and the cultural and
political dynamics that influence these emotions are the key issues in this study. Furthermore,
this study attempts to find answers to the questions of whether different perspectives, ethical political positions can be produced from the experience of motherhood and how the gap
between the ideal motherhood and what is experienced in reality can be described.
Key words
motherhood, anxiety, guilt, inadequacy, sacrifice, subjectivity, gender
