“I Need My Children to Know That I Will Always Be Here for Them”: Young Care Leavers’ Experiences With Their Own Motherhood in Buenos Aires, Argentina

For care leavers in Argentina, the transition to an autonomous lifestyle is a process that begins at 18 years old when they are no longer protected by Children’s Rights laws. This transition is particularly challenging without any family support, and studies have demonstrated that female care leavers are likely to have children within the first few years after leaving care. The aim of this research is to explore and analyze young women’s identities, experiences, and perceptions about their own motherhood and family relationships after leaving the institutional care system in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Throughout a qualitative, small-scale study using life-history interviews, an insight of how these young women’s life experiences have influenced their identities is obtained. In this respect, the findings suggest that female care leavers offer a different type of childhood to their own children than the childhood they experienced, thus providing security, health, education, and love for their children. Moreover, an ambivalent relationship with their birth families has encouraged these women to develop their autonomy with new, meaningful bonds. Finally, motherhood and community participation have empowered these young women and promoted their agency.