"Mommy Issues": Exploring the Intersections Between Motherhood and Womanhood Admist Chronic Illness.

Krisha Mistry, University of British Columbia

While the relationship between motherhood and womanhood has long been researched in the field of sociology, such work often neglects how chronic illness diagnoses may impact the formation of these identities. In my research, I explore how individuals understand and navigate the motherhood identity within the context of womanhood, with attention to how the diagnosis of a chronic illness impacts these intersecting identities. The data is based on two semi-structured qualitative interviews with a minimum of three participants. The first interview focuses on how women relate to the experiences of womanhood and motherhood, and the second focuses on how women navigate these identities with a chronic illness. The data of each participant is analyzed as an individual case study to account for the variety of illnesses presented. Moreover, by implementing this approach each participant represents a different story or perspective of motherhood. Combining narrative and sociological approaches allows for a deeper understanding of the individual motherhood experience and how this maps onto their journey/experience with chronic illness. Initially, I had planned to conduct a thematic analysis that identified common themes across all participants. However, during the data analysis stage, each participant presented with a different chronic illness and all had different journeys to motherhood, making it difficult to validate my data to its full extent. Instead, by taking a narrative case study approach common themes were identified across participants despite all having different journeys and experiences. For example, a common theme of “resilience,” emerged despite all participants having undergone acute mental and physical health challenges, they would often put aside their own needs for the better of their children because it was their ‘job’ as a mother. Furthermore, by doing so participants expressed a sense of external purpose that motherhood gave them. This further supports my hypothesis that despite having a chronic illness, the identity of motherhood gives participants an external sense of purpose, both shaping them as mothers and as women. For all participants interviewed, it was found that cultural background and familial, social, and cultural expectations strongly influenced the decision to become a mother, and this desire to become a mother overcame the challenges associated with their chronic illness. Despite this, an additional finding that emerged was to the understanding of chronic illness arose: chronic illness diagnoses are strongly associated with feelings of unworthiness and a distinct lack of fulfillment that transcends to participants’ understanding of both womanhood and motherhood identities. This research is incredibly important to both the field of medical sociology and sociology of the family because it highlights the variety of challenges women face when making the decision to become a mother. Additionally, this work demonstrates a foundational understanding of the ways in which a chronic illness may create both physical and mental health barriers to the experience of navigating motherhood. Moreover, this research provides insight for women with chronic illnesses themselves into the potential challenges they may face when making the decision of whether or not to embark on the journey of motherhood. This research also highlights the importance of providing resources and support to women with chronic illnesses and their families. Additionally, it emphasizes the need for further research into the unique needs of women with chronic illnesses and their families.

This paper will be presented at the following session:

• (CSF1a) Families I
  Thursday Jun 20 11:00 am to 12:30 pm (Eastern Daylight Time)
  Trottier Building - ENGTR 2100