NCJ Number
216560
Journal
Journal of Ethnicity in Substance Abuse Volume: 5 Issue: 3 Dated: 2006 Pages: 1-27
Date Published
2006
Length
27 pages
Annotation
Based on openended interviews with five poor African-American women living in disadvantaged inner-city neighborhoods, this study examined their decisions about giving birth after becoming pregnant, as well as their attitudes toward and expectations of motherhood.
Abstract
Whether or not the women became pregnant intentionally or unintentionally, they made the conscious decision to give birth to their children rather than have an abortion because of their emotional and social expectations for motherhood. They viewed motherhood as the context for them to give love to their children and receive love from them. Motherhood was also viewed as providing a social identity that was valued in the community. The lifestyles of the women consisted of drug consumption, fleeting sexual encounters, violence, and abuse. Many of the problems in their personal lives and within their community seemed insurmountable and overwhelming to the women. Romantic relationships were short-lived, fragile, and unpredictable. The women viewed motherhood and their relationships with their children as one source of stable social identity and possibility for giving and receiving love regularly and predictably. As many studies have shown, among African-Americans motherhood has a prime symbolic value and is linked to achieving personal and social identity as a woman and social status as a responsible adult. 5 notes and 76 references