Listening to the unherad-of: maternity malaise in offending mothers attended in a social assistance center

Abstract

Motherhood is socially seen through an idealized perception in which mothers should unconditionally act in a protective way with their children, being comprehended as insane or evil when they transgress this gender role. This article aims to analyze women that has transgressed that social rule and were claimed as being violent (physically or psychologically) or neglectful. Three interviews were made with women that have been followed up by Children´s Rights System and a content analyses was done. Four main categories were noticeable: “Motherhood”, “Family of Origin”, “Loving Relationship” and “Socioeconomic condition”. It was remarkable that those women were overburden due the absence of the State, the family and the children´s fathers, that are not considered when they abandon or when they do not accomplish parenthood, what can contribute to a violent familiar dynamic against children, aside from a notorious process of psychiatric approach and judicialization against these women.

Keywords

• Maternidade
• Violência
• Políticas Públicas
• Feminismo