Women’s perception of motherhood in contemporary

Abstract

This article aimed to identify and understand how women represent motherhood. To this end, 15 interviews were carried out via telephone with women between 31 and 40 years old, who have at least one child and are in the job market, using a semi-structured script created by the researchers. Using the data collected, a qualitative analysis was carried out structured into two categories, namely: the participants' feelings regarding motherhood and the perception of motherhood in the midst of other roles, such as wife and professional. From the articulation between the interview reports and the scientific literature used, it was possible to verify that women identify motherhood as a great responsibility, which often makes them give up other equally important roles such as wife, professional, or themselves as a person. On the other hand, it was also possible to ascertain that some women, in addition to representing motherhood as a responsibility, also enthrone it as an achievement, expressing a feeling of positive changes in their lives. From the study, it was possible to ratify how much motherhood is valued by women with children, making it necessary to carry out more studies that relate the mental health of mothers, with the overload and the feeling of guilt mentioned by them.