Biographical "disruption" in first-time mothers' reflections on the transition to motherhood
| dc.contributor.author | Treloar, Adrienne Elizabeth Bonfonti | |
| dc.contributor.supervisor | Benoit, Cecilia | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2010-04-01T17:56:29Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2010-04-01T17:56:29Z | |
| dc.date.copyright | 2007 | en |
| dc.date.issued | 2010-04-01T17:56:29Z | |
| dc.degree.department | Dept. of Sociology | en |
| dc.degree.level | Master of Arts M.A. | en |
| dc.description.abstract | The purpose of this thesis was to examine how first-time mothers' experiences during the transition into motherhood reflect biographical 'flows' or 'disruptions' when contextualized within their life course trajectories. I used a qualitative research design with narrative methods of data collection and analysis to explore participants' reproductive life courses. I collected data through in-depth and open-ended questions during face-to-face, retrospective, episodic narrative interviews with a purposive sample of 14 first-time mothers 12-17 months postpartum. Data indicate that all of the first-time mothers experienced the transition to motherhood as a biographical disruption, but that different types of disruption were evident. The three typologies of disruption identified are: motherhood as a 'fresh start,' a prolonged limbo between life before and after motherhood, and achievement of womanhood or adulthood. Four sub-themes are also evident in the data: weight and body-image, sexual/maternal breast usage, 'advanced maternal age', and social support provided by participants' mothers. | en |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/1828/2426 | |
| dc.language | English | eng |
| dc.language.iso | en | en |
| dc.rights | Available to the World Wide Web | en |
| dc.subject | Mothers | en |
| dc.subject | Motherhood | en |
| dc.subject.lcsh | UVic Subject Index::Humanities and Social Sciences::Sociology::Family | en |
| dc.title | Biographical "disruption" in first-time mothers' reflections on the transition to motherhood | en |
| dc.type | Thesis | en |