The Discourse of stepmothering : between the "wicked stepmother" and the "good mother"
Date
1997
Authors
Daly, Leslie Kim
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Abstract
This study explores the formation of the stepmother as subject and in particular the role of stepmothers' own stories in that formation. Many feminist authors have written about the discursive construction of women as subjects and some authors have considered the experience of stepmothering. However, apparently no research has focused on the discourse of stepmothering brought forward by stepmothers themselves. The research methodology integrates aspects of postructuralist and feminist inquiry. The method involved assembling a group of five stepmothers to share their own stories of stepmothering. These women employed a collective process of reading, writing, and analysis to explore the constitutive force of the discursive practices through which stepmothering relations operate. This research revealed patterns in the discourse of stepmothering which are culturally and historically specific. These are:
a) the subjectivity of stepmothers as a site of conflict;
b) the hegemony of the discourse of the traditional nuclear family and how this constructs stepmothers' subjectivity. Stepmothers often feel like an "extra" within this discourse which can render them powerless and invisible in their family and their social context;
c) the binary categories of "good mother" and "wicked stepmother" and how this categorization acts to sabotage stepmothers' attempts to (re)write the story of family to better serve their interests;
d) the discourse of the wicked first wife/biological mother and the harmful effects this discourse has on the relationship between stepmothers and biological mothers;
e) discourses of resistance in which stepmothers ( re )write the story of family, opening up the possibility of alternative stepmothering practices.
In addressing the implications for practice, poststructuralist tools appropriate for working with stepmothers' stories were described.