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Motherhood and Extradomestic Work in Urban Mexico
Author(s) -
GARCíA BRíGIDA,
OLIVEIRA ORLANDINA
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
bulletin of latin american research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.24
H-Index - 33
eISSN - 1470-9856
pISSN - 0261-3050
DOI - 10.1111/j.1470-9856.1997.tb00059.x
Subject(s) - ambivalence , fertility , limiting , child care , family planning , latin americans , family life , identity (music) , child rearing , gender studies , sociology , nuclear family , psychology , social psychology , population , political science , developmental psychology , demography , medicine , research methodology , mechanical engineering , acoustics , engineering , anthropology , physics , pediatrics , law
— This article analyses the meanings attributed by Mexican women of different social classes to motherhood and extradomestic work, as well as life experiences of family planning and child care. Information for the study was provided by 79 in‐depth interviews with women who were either married or living with a partner who contributed regularly to the family income. The findings suggest that cultural norms regarding motherhood change far more slowly in urban Mexico than child‐rearing or fertility control practices. Many women from different social classes still consider motherhood as their main source of identity and only a very educated and privileged group speaks with ambivalence regarding their mother's role. In contrast, more women are ready to accept child‐care substitutes, especially if they find satisfaction in extradomestic activities, or carry them out because of personal or family necessities. Finally, the analysis points out that most urban women in Mexico, particularly the younger and more educated cohorts, are very much aware of the costs involved in children's education and rearing, and have acted accordingly, using contraceptives and limiting their family sizes. 0 1997 Society for Latin American Studies