Working-class Mothers Research Articles

Guilt and Beyond: A Class Cultural Analysis of Evolving Emotional Responses to Maternal Foodwork

Based on a longitudinal and ethnographic study, this research examines how women experience the emotional aspects of their maternal foodwork in England across social classes. Maternal foodwork is linked to guilt and anxiety due to intense gendered and class-related ideals of proper feeding within the context of responsibilising discourses. This article contributes to the literature by introducing a temporal perspective, exploring how emotions beyond anxiety transform as caregiving arrangements evolve over time. It reveals that middle-class mothers adopt a downscaling strategy to counter maternal guilt when maintaining the standards set by intensive feeding ideology proves to be challenging with time. Working-class mothers adopt the same strategy to counteract feelings of inadequacy tied to persistent institutional surveillance and the challenge of embodying middle-class dispositions. The study underscores women’s capacity to cultivate agentic responses, albeit within the boundaries of their class habitus, crafting pockets of resistance against intensive feeding ideals.

At Least Three of Every Six Boys Involved in the Almajiri System of Northern Nigeria Die in the Child Begging Culture

Background: Children involved in the Almajiri system of training are boys, exposed to harsh conditions and subjected to begging to fend for themselves, leaving them susceptible to violence, hunger, starvation, infections, child predators, and being used as elements of violence. This decreases their chances of surviving till adulthood as a lot die even before they reach age 16. Objectives: The main objective of this research, which was carried out in 2018, was to quantitatively determine the survival rate of the children who were enrolled in the Almajiri program and evaluate the extent of its negative impact on the child survival rate in Nigeria. Methodology: The research design was a cross-sectional study of a population selected through a combined two separate purposive sampling method, which involves door-to-door primary data collection through a questionnaire. 137 villages across 2 Northern states of Nigeria, which are major areas of the sources of boys born into the Almajiri system, were selected for this research and the two northern states were Kaduna and Kano states. Participants were mothers of one boy at least and of the Hausa or Fulani tribes ranging from 18 to 64 years of age. Working-class mothers of the same description in the capital city of Kano state of Northern Nigeria were also randomly selected. Result: A total number of 16,857 mothers were interviewed, out of which 8422 were desired mothers (50%). From these desired mothers came about 102,349 children (12 children/mother), out of which 26011 died before they were 5 years old (25%). The boys who finally survived and enrolled in the Almajiri system of training were 25,892 (25% of all live births). Out of these surviving boys, 12,975 died (50%); 8639 were lost and their whereabouts not known (33%); 4278 survived and are still alive (16.5%). Conclusion: This has led to the conclusion that for every 6 boys sent away to engage in the Almajiri system of seeking knowledge in Northern Nigeria, 3 die, 1 stays alive and the other 2 are lost, their whereabouts not known. This is at least 50% of the child mortality of boys born into the Almajiri system of Northern Nigeria.

‘You Just Have to Wait’: Bureaucratic Offerings and Spiritual Repertoires of Waiting in Postcolonial Paris

ABSTRACT Egyptian migrant mothers living in Paris often advice one another that they ‘just have to wait’ and practice ‘patience’ as they navigate French migration and welfare bureaucracies. These exhortations bring into view agentive modes of inhabiting bureaucratic waiting. This paper examines the ways in which Egyptian-background working-class mothers in Paris shape their position as ‘patients of the state’. Based on informally shared understandings of waited time as the central currency to French bureaucracy’s hidden logic, these mothers engage with their time-spent-in-waiting as something that can be offered to the bureaucratic system in exchange for a possible resolution. They also draw on religious repertoires of patience and acceptance as gendered Islamic virtues, endowing bureaucratic challenges and enforced waiting with divine significance. Migration bureaucracy thus is converted into a domain of spiritual practice.

Social Security, Gender and Class: The impacts of the New Conditionality Regime on Unpaid Care and Paid Work

The introduction of Universal Credit, a new means-tested benefit for working-aged people in the UK, entails a significant expansion of welfare conditionality. Due to mothers’ disproportionate responsibility for unpaid care, women are particularly affected by the new conditionality regime for parents who have the primary responsibility for the care of dependent children. This article draws upon qualitative longitudinal research with twenty-four mothers subject to the new conditionality regime to analyse the gendered impacts of this new policy and whether there is variation in experiences according to social class. The analysis demonstrates that the new conditionality regime devalues unpaid care and is of limited efficacy in improving sustained moves into paid work. It also shows that the negative gendered impacts of the conditionality within Universal Credit are at times exacerbated for working-class mothers.

Determination of Shelf Life of Instant Melon (Citrulluscolocynthis) Soup Powder for Working-Class Mothers in Lagos, Nigeria

The study developed and determined instant melon (Citrulluscolocynthis) soup powder’s shelf life for working-class mothers in Lagos, Nigeria. The study adopted research and development design. The population for the study was 2,077. The sample size for the study was 341. This consisted of three groups made up of 25 lecturers, 192 mothers working in banks and 124 mothers working. Seven sets of instruments were used for data collection. Data was analyzed using mean and standard deviation for the research questions. Findings of the study indicated that the shelf life determinants included free fatty acid (FFA), moisture content and total viable count measured over a period of 22 weeks. From the analysis, FFA content slightly appreciated over the weeks; from 0.60 at the start to 0.7 5 at 4weeks; 0.86 at 8weeks; 0.95 at 12 weeks; 1.70 at 16 weeks and 4.06 at 22 weeks. The analysis showed that the moisture content of the developed melon soup powder slightly decreased over the weeks; from 9.41 at the start to 9.30 at 4 weeks; 9.00 at 8 weeks; 8.82 at 12 weeks; 8.60 at 16 weeks and 8.30 at 22 weeks. The total viable count (TVC) of the developed melon soup powder increased over the weeks. At the start of the experiment, the TVC of the developed melon soup powder was 8; TVC increased to 10 at 4 weeks; 14 at 8 weeks; 15 at 12 weeks; 18 at 16 weeks and 29 at 22 weeks.

‘I teach them what I can’: working-class mothers supporting their children’s relationship with schooling

This text aims to demonstrate the contribution of working-class mothers to supporting their children at school and the social factors that determine the effectiveness of the practices these mothers adopt in their efforts. The mothers’ involvement in education is a complex and demanding work. It entails practices directly related to schooling, such as communication with teachers and daily homework management, as well as out-of-school time management for their children in relation to other organized activities (educational, sports, cultural) they may attend. These practices create a distinct educational context that runs in parallel with the educational context of the school. However, mothers do not share the same perceptions and practices. On the contrary, there are differences identified among them, which are directly associated with financial ability and, most importantly, the educational level of the mothers, who seem to be the family member responsible for making decisions in respect with children’s education.

Postpartum Depression Among Malaysian Mothers During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Its Relationship With Breastfeeding Practices and Perceived Social Support

Introduction: Breastfeeding practice aids babies in acquiring nutrients they need but it could be impeded when women are struggling from postpartum depression (PPD). The prevalence of PPD varied across countries and certain sociodemographic traits along with breastfeeding practices have influenced PPD rates differently. The aim of this research was to study the prevalence of PPD among Malaysian mothers during the COVID-19 pandemic and to study the overall relationship between breastfeeding ractice with PPD and perceived social support. Methods: Through an online questionnaire, 109 mothers have participated, and the collected data were analysed based on the sociodemographic information, Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) and Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS). Results: The prevalence of PPD was 48.6%. Sociodemographic characteristics like working status, ethnicity, living region and household income had no association with PPD. No statistically significant differences in working status with PPD and perceived social support levels respectively, although the occurrence of PPD was higher among working-class mothers. A significant negative correlation was found between PPD level with perceived social support (P=0.040, rs=-0.197) and paid maternity leave (P=0.015, rs=-0.333). Perceived social support was positively correlated with education level (P=0.044, rs=0.194) and paid maternity leave (P=0.023, rs=0.218). Conclusion: The social support and paid maternity leave may reduce the PPD, yet further studies involving a larger and more diverse subjects may warrant a more conclusive finding.

Invisible Laborers: A storied love letter to other working-class mothers in academia

This paper began from my own desire to see the words of other working-class mothers in academia, to find the proof of our existence. I use autoethnography, or scholarly personal narrative, to nest my own stories of being a working-class mother within earlier scholars’ (Leeb, 2004) observations of the particular ways classism targets working-class women in academia. I also draw from Tiffe’s (2014) observations of the strengths of working-class people, in our abilities to disrupt the neoliberal university’s relationships to time, care, and bodies, and consider how working-class mothers in academia enact these disruptions through our presence.

Nutritional status of under-five aged children of ready-made garment workers in Bangladesh: A cross-sectional study.

The ready-made garment (RMG) sector is a significant contributor to the economic growth of Bangladesh, accounting for 10% of the country's GDP and more than 80% of its foreign exchange earnings. The workforce in this sector is predominantly made up of women, with 2.5 million women working in the industry. However, these women face numerous challenges in carrying out their culturally-expected household responsibilities, including childcare, due to severe resource constraints. As a result, the children of these working women have a higher incidence of malnutrition, particularly stunted growth. This study aims to identify the factors that contribute to stunting in children under the age of five whose mothers work in the RMG sector in Bangladesh. The study collected data from 267 female RMG workers in the Gazipur district of Bangladesh using a simple random sampling technique. Chi-square tests were used to determine the associations between the factors influencing child stunting, and Multinomial Logit Models were used to estimate the prevalence of these factors. The study found that the prevalence of moderate and severe stunting among the children of RMG workers living in the Gazipur RMG hub was 19% and 20%, respectively. The study identified several significant predictors of child stunting, including the mother's education level, nutritional knowledge, control over resources, receipt of antenatal care, household size, sanitation facilities, and childbirth weight. The study found that improving the mother's education level, increasing household size, and receiving antenatal care during pregnancy were important factors in reducing the likelihood of child stunting. For example, if a mother's education level increased from no education to primary or secondary level, the child would be 0.211 (0.071-0.627) and 0.384 (0.138-1.065) times more likely to have a normal weight and height, respectively, than to be moderately stunted. The study highlights the challenges faced by working women in the RMG sector, who often receive minimal wages and have limited access to antenatal care services. To address these challenges, the study recommends policies that support antenatal care for working-class mothers, provide daycare facilities for their children, and implement a comprehensive social safety net program that targets child nutrition. Improving the socioeconomic status of mothers is also critical to reducing child malnutrition in this population.

Tiny happy people? Brain building and the ‘word gap’

Presently and historically, working-class mothers have been positioned as problematic. Their children’s low attainment is blamed on perceived deficiencies in their parenting. Tied to this, the concept of the ‘word gap’ has been used to demonstrate a language deficit, which it is claimed leads to working-class children starting school behind their middle-class peers. These concepts are central tenets to the BBC’s Tiny Happy People website which was analysed to ascertain current ‘good’ mothering discourses. This critical discourse analysis considers the authorship of the website and the BBC’s status as commissioning editor, alongside its key concept: addressing the word gap. Tiny Happy People’s target audience are parents from lower socioeconomic groups. Together with the content of the website, this framing will be used to consider Tiny Happy People’s approach to the perceived problem and how that may affect working-class mothers.

State Nurseries are Not for Us: The Limitations of Early Childhood Policies Beyond Price Barriers in Barcelona

Access to early child education services has been proven to be an efficient tool in fighting educational inequalities. However, while wealthier families are likely to use childcare services, disadvantaged children tend to be left out. Research has explained this effect, known as Mathew Effect, and has studied both the constraints in the availability and affordability of childcare services, and the cultural norms surrounding motherhood. This paper aims to highlight other factors that also explain the Mathew Effect from a public policy perspective, beyond the economic barriers that limit access to formal childcare services. Through 34 interviews with mothers who have children between one and three years of age who attend both state and private nurseries in the city of Barcelona, we examine the characteristics of regulated childcare services and the objective factors of those mothers’ everyday lives in order to understand the decision-making processes involved in choosing childcare for the under-threes. The results indicate that sliding-scale pricing has allowed mothers with low incomes to access state nursery schools, while the quality of the services offered has served to attract the middle and upper classes. However, early childhood care services have not been adapted to the needs of working-class mothers who, although not being in a situation of social vulnerability, cannot afford private nurseries because of their high costs.

The influence of social class and institutional relationships on the experiences of vaccine-hesitant mothers: a qualitative study

Vaccine hesitancy is a growing problem in the United States. However, our understanding of the mechanisms by which socioeconomic status (SES) shapes the experience of vaccine hesitancy and decision-making is incomplete. The aim of this study was to understand how social class influences the experiences and perspectives of vaccine-hesitant mothers. We conducted semistructured interviews with middle- and working-class vaccine-hesitant mothers. Participants were identified through neighborhood parenthood groups in the Philadelphia area, as well as in-person and online groups whose members express concerns about vaccines. Interviews were audio recorded and inductively analyzed. Interviews were conducted with 37 vaccine-hesitant mothers, who described their vaccine decision-making through the lens of interactions with three institutional stakeholders: 1) pediatric clinicians; 2) school administrators; and 3) emergency room staff. In discussing these interactions, middle- and working-class mothers invoked distinct levels of authority in relation to these institutions. Specifically, working-class mothers expressed concerns that medical or school professionals could act as reporters for state intervention, including Child Protective Services, while middle-class mothers did not. These interactions highlighted the ways middle- and working-class mothers in our study felt differently empowered and constrained in their vaccine choices, and ultimately influenced their perceptions of available actions. Our findings indicate that experiences of vaccine hesitancy may be influenced by mothers' social class via their relationships to institutional authorities. These findings have implications for how clinicians communicate with parents from different social backgrounds to best build trust and facilitate vaccine uptake.

Challenges of Exclusive Breastfeeding among Working Class Women in a Teaching Hospital South East, Nigeria

This research work seeks to investigate the challenges of exclusive breastfeeding among working class mothers in Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital Nnewi Anambra State Nigeria. The objective of the present study is to investigate the attitude of working mothers to exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) in Nnamdi Azikiwe Teaching Hospital, Nnewi North L.G.A., Anambra State, Nigeria. The study unravel those socio-economic determinates of exclusive breastfeeding among working mother's in Nnamdi Azikiwe Teaching Hospital, Nnewi in order to give recommendations that will help improve the rate of exclusive breastfeeding. Descriptive survey design was used in the study. Descriptive survey method was used to observe, describe and document aspects of the attitude of working class mothers towards exclusive breastfeeding. Data from the survey was statistically analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) (version 12.0). 120 mothers participated in this study; they were selected based on the inclusion criteria and their availability at the time of the survey. Socio-demographic characteristics of mothers were presented in a cross-tabulation.

Regimes of motherhood: Social class, the word gap and the optimisation of mothers’ talk

The role of working class mothers’ talk in explaining their child’s ‘impoverished’ language development and the resulting ‘word gap’ between social classes is hotly debated. Academic research in this area spans decades, crosses continents, and gathers up a wide range of disciplines and positions, ranging from research seeking to intervene in and optimise mothers’ talk, to research that vigorously criticises any attempt to do so. Through an extended analysis of Jacques Donzelot’s seminal study The Policing of Families, and Michel Foucault’s concept of a ‘regime of truth’, we explore how motherhood is constructed by academic debate as something to be endlessly optimised. Academic debate functions by (1) reducing expectations concerning the role and remit of experts so as to place the onus on mothers to implement findings which the former will facilitate, (2) complicating the contributing factors to language delay, thus avoiding apportioning blame too directly whilst giving endless cause to do further research, and (3) committing mothers to a permanent labour in which they are expected to better themselves as measured by the manifest language development of their children. Its strongest critics remain within the constraints of this regime of truth to the extent that they argue for humility of expertise, for recognition of broader sociocultural factors, and for the importance of privileging the expertise and agency of mothers. This article considers how all parties are, in effect, obliged to declare the truth of motherhood and will find themselves implicated in its governance.

Knowledge and Practice of Exclusive Breastfeeding among Working-Class Mothers in Rumuigbo Community, Obio Akpo Local Government Area of Rivers State

This study was carried out in Rumuigbo Community, Obio/Akpor Local Government Area in Rivers State on the knowledge and practice of Exclusive Breastfeeding by Working class mothers. Objectives of the study were to determine if the working class mothers in Rumuigbo community know the benefits of exclusive breastfeeding, to ascertain if the nature of their jobs limits the practice of exclusive breastfeeding by working-class mothers, to ascertain the level of practice of exclusive breastfeeding and to ascertain the perception of working-class mothers in Rumuigbo community towards the practice of exclusive breastfeeding. The objectives were translated into research questions. One null hypothesis was formulated, there will be no significant relationship between knowledge and practice of exclusive breastfeeding by working-class mothers in Rumuigbo community. Literature were reviewed in line with the objectives of the study. Purposive random sampling technique was used to select the sample of 100 nursing mothers from the target population of 200. The instrument used for the study was a self-constructed questionnaire which consisted of two (2) different sections. Section “A” contains the personal data of respondents and Section B contained questions constructed to elicit answers on the research variable. Data were obtained from 85 respondents out of the sample size of 100. The research questions and hypothesis formulated revealed the information needed. Percentages, tables and figures were used to present the findings of the research while the chi-square (X2) statistical tool was used to test the hypothesis at alpha level of 0.05% significance. It was discovered that the majority of working-class mothers have a good knowledge of exclusive breastfeeding but do not practice it effectively. Based on the findings, the following recommendations were made: health workers especially nurses and midwives in union with Government and Organizations should map out strategies to support, promote and encourage working-class mothers to practice exclusive breastfeeding in our society. Members of the families of working-class mothers should support and assist in feeding infants with expressed milk when the mothers are away. The need for further studies such as: the effectiveness of exclusive breastfeeding in the reduction of infantile infections was also suggested.

Challenges of implementing exclusive breast feeding among working-class mothers in Brass Island, Bayelsa State, Nigeria

Background: Baby Friendly Initiative recommended that Breast milk should be solely fed to newborns from 0 to 6 months on demand, with supplemental feeding continuing after 6 months and working class mothers are not exempted from this recommendation. No single study has been conducted on challenges of working class mothers in Brass Island. This study was designed to identify the challenges of implementing exclusive breastfeeding on working class mothers in Brass Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, Nigeria. Materials and methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted from January to October, 2021 among (n = 251) randomly selected working class mothers who attended infant welfare clinics in two secondary health facilities in Brass Island, Nigeria. Data were collected using a self-structured questionnaire and analyzed using SPSS version20, descriptive and multi-linear regression analyses were carried out. A 95% confidence interval was used to measure the strength of association. Statistical significance was declared at P -value <0.05. Results: Only 90 (36%) of the 251 working-class women exclusively breastfed their children. The majority of the participants (39%) said that job pressure is the most difficult challenge of exclusively breastfeeding practice. Other challenges include a lack of a comfortable environment to breastfeed at work (28%), low breast milk supply (19%), and insufficient time to breastfeed at work (14%). There is also a statistically significant association between the challenges of establishing exclusive breastfeeding and age (p=.000) and educational level (p=.000). However, challenges to implementing exclusive breastfeeding were not associated with marital status (p=.261), religion (p=.161), parity (p=.271), or the age of the nursed child (p=.234). Conclusion: The percentage of working-class mothers who practice exclusively breastfeeding is very low due to identified challenges. There is a need for ongoing education on the importance of exclusive breastfeeding and how to deal with the challenges that come with it

Child-centred Matriarch or Mother Among Other Things? Race and the Construction of Working-class Motherhood in Late Twentieth-century Britain.

This article examines and centres the activism and experiences of Black mothers to demonstrate the primacy of race in the construction working-class motherhood in late twentieth-century Britain. While recent scholarship has demonstrated the way in which working-class mothers could be vectors of social change in post-war Britain, it has obscured the experience of Black mothers. This study addresses the ethnic bias in the historiography of motherhood by drawing on the personal testimony of Black mothers, as well as the campaign literature generated by grassroots organizations in Britain's inner cities. It corroborates recent scholarship by demonstrating that by participating in tenant's' associations, playgroups, and mothers' groups, working-class mothers developed a mode of motherhood that worked around their own practical needs and demands. However, it argues that these opportunities for assertiveness were refracted through the lived experience of both systemic and interpersonal racism that Black women faced in post-imperial and post-industrial Britain. Moreover, by examining the community efforts taken by Black women in inner-city areas, the study also contributes to recent studies on race, class, and community activism in urban Britain. It demonstrates that the intersecting experiences of race and class could combine to produce forms of community activism among mothers, particularly in the form of tenants' associations. However, racism continued to persist in inner city neighbourhoods, which isolated Black mothers from mother-centred community groups. Examining motherhood at the granular level, this article demonstrates the importance of viewing the British working-class from the perspective of not only gender, but also race.

‘You feel a bit lost’: a case study interpreting white, working-class mothers’ engagement through habitus

Bourdieu argued that class-based inequalities influenced educational outcomes and this paper illustrates the relevance of Bourdieu’s concepts in understanding one specific community. A wider study by the authors used the concept of habitus to identify factors which impacted on the participants—predominantly white working-class mothers’—perceptions of their engagement with schools. This paper provides two selected case study examples from the wider study which describes the ways these mothers interpret different habitus in relation to education and discusses how habitus can inform understandings of different parental perceptions towards education and how this affects engagement. Schools can use this insight to ensure that parents from such backgrounds feel better able to engage with their children’s education. Schools use this insight to inform to ensure that parents from such backgrounds feel able to engage with their children’s education, both at home and in school.

‘I am the black duck’ affective aspects of working-class mothers’ involvement in parental communities

The aim of this study is to analyse working-class mothers’ narratives of social interactions among parents at their children’s schools. A special focus is paid to the emotions that arise in such interactions and their role in the reproduction of class. A narrative analysis of six stories of white, working-class mothers of compulsory school aged children was carried out. The study is set in Iceland, which gives a unique opportunity for classed and gendered analysis of parental communities as the country is at the forefront of gender equality in the world. Additionally, the compulsory school system is still relatively unsegregated. Findings show that the parental communities reproduce the symbolic violence endured by the working-class mothers within the field of education. Accounts of resistance and anger are present in some of the accounts but affective responses such as inferiority and shame are all-encompassing and contribute to the reproduction of class.

Social Determinants Do Not Determine Me.

The following is the winning submission from the fifth annual Section on Pediatric Trainees Monthly Feature essay competition. For this year's competition, we asked trainees to reflect on and share how their unique identity, or identities, informs their advocacy work on behalf of children and families. We asked writers to consider how their personal histories and backgrounds, including sex, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, religion, geographic area, and life experiences improve equity in pediatric health care. We were impressed by the broad variety of important topics addressed in the pieces submitted by trainees from around the country. The winning essay by Dr Haleigh Prather highlights her experiences as a Hispanic woman raised by a single, working-class mother; the obstacles that she faced in her life and how she surmounted them; and how her strength and resilience shaped her approach to health care delivery. In this piece, she underscores how the lessons learned by trainees from challenges in their own lives promote advocacy for the health and welfare of patients.