Discourses of Good Motherhood and the Policing of Young Parenthood

Within a neoliberal context, youth pregnancy continues to be socially recognized as an individualized mistake, influencing young mothers by shaping and constraining their actions and lifestyle choices. Utilizing a Foucauldian and poststructural feminist lens, and drawing on interviews with 11 young...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inWomen & criminal justice Vol. 30; no. 5; pp. 374 - 390
Main Authors Varadi, Amber-Lee, Raby, Rebecca, Tardif-Williams, Christine
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published London Routledge 02.09.2020
Taylor & Francis LLC
Subjects
Adolescent mothers
Age
discourse
Feminism
Hegemony
inequality
Law enforcement
Mothers
Neoliberalism
Parents & parenting
policing
Poststructuralism
Pregnancy
young motherhood
Young mothers
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

More Information
Summary:Within a neoliberal context, youth pregnancy continues to be socially recognized as an individualized mistake, influencing young mothers by shaping and constraining their actions and lifestyle choices. Utilizing a Foucauldian and poststructural feminist lens, and drawing on interviews with 11 young mothers, this research examines how, where, and why young mothers experience forms of policing. Participants conceptualized "good" motherhood through two qualities-"being there" and "taking care of herself too"-which simultaneously reproduce and resist hegemonic discourses related to normative mothering and neoliberalism. Findings also reveal how real and perceived instances of judgement resulted in young mothers' policing and/or self-policing.
ISSN:0897-4454
1541-0323
DOI:10.1080/08974454.2020.1741486