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Giving voice to the burden of blame: A feminist study of mothers’ experiences of mother blaming
Author(s) -
Jackson Debra,
Mannix Judy
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
international journal of nursing practice
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.62
H-Index - 55
eISSN - 1440-172X
pISSN - 1322-7114
DOI - 10.1111/j.1440-172x.2004.00474.x
Subject(s) - blame , narrative , psychology , developmental psychology , social psychology , gender studies , sociology , linguistics , philosophy
Mother blaming has been identified as a pervasive and serious problem and it is known that the professional literature has strong and entrenched mother‐blaming messages. Using a feminist approach, this paper explores mother blaming as it has been experienced by a group of mothers themselves. Analysis of narrative exposes mother blaming as a burden that complicates the already‐complex responsibilities that comprise mothering. Health providers are among those identified by women as being particularly likely to attribute problems with (even grown) children to maternal fault. Implications for practice and research are drawn from the findings of this paper.