Daughterwork in times of social upheaval

Abstract

This paper focuses on adult daughters’ experiences of daughtering and role changes during the COVID-19 pandemic. The relationship between daughters and their parents is a topic of importance given its importance in families and potential to impact wellbeing. The pandemic presented a disruption to women’s lives in multiple domains, creating a need for rapid change and adaptation, though daughters’ experiences have been missing from our recent cultural conversation of the invisible load women shoulder. The overarching research questions for this project is: How do participants describe their daughtering experiences and relational communication strategies during and after a time of social, familial, and career disruption? Using in-depth, semi-structured interviews of women who identified change to their daughtering, professional, and family lives, this paper discusses the ways a crisis can provide opportunities for flexible daughtering and meaningful connection as well as a time to reflect on one’s most important relationships.