Abstract
The current qualitative study explores women’s conceptions of the normative family and their day-to-day family lives. To that aim, we conducted five focus group interviews in two low-income neighborhoods of Istanbul. The sample included 43 women (42 biological mothers and a grandmother) who had at least one child between ages 3 and 8 in their care. Participants were 35.64 years old on average (SD = 4.74) and were all married. Women had approximately two children (SD = 0.72) whose mean age was 7.92 years old (SD = 3.11). Each focus group was semi-structured, lasted for 1–1.5 h, and included 5–12 participants. Thematic analysis of the focus group interview data, moderator memos, and observer’s notes revealed five defining features of healthy family functioning: cohesion, healthy child, parenting, conflict, control, and family organization. Overall, women prioritized motherhood over their other social identities and idealized the happy family, which contradicted their actual lived experiences in the family system. We discuss how women’s depictions of all family processes revolved around cultural constructs of gender, socio-economic status, and independence/interdependence. The findings of this study shed light on future interventions for low-income women and their families in Turkey.
Highlights
In the past three decades, substantial literature has documented the negative consequences of poverty for child development and family well-being (Brooks-Gunn and Duncan, 1997; Bhana and Bachoo, 2011)
Cohesion constituted enjoying quality time with each other, having mutual respect and trust, and feeling appreciated and accepted by other family members. Participants argued that those characteristics were ideal for a closely-knit, healthy family (Table 3)
Love and affection were associated with family cohesion, but they were defined differently for the parentchild relationships and marital relationships
Summary
In the past three decades, substantial literature has documented the negative consequences of poverty for child development and family well-being (Brooks-Gunn and Duncan, 1997; Bhana and Bachoo, 2011). Current research addresses marital relationships, positive parenting, and responsiveness as protective mechanisms that mediate the relationship between financial strain and child social and emotional development (Harold and Leve, 2019). Some researchers have moved from sole examination of the parent-child relationships among low-income families and focused on the family as a system (e.g., Walsh, 1996, family resilience) and how families cope with adversity. Several key family processes that characterize resilient families are family cohesion, communication, family organization/control and discipline, routines and rituals, and the social support network (Black and Lobo, 2008)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
