Questões de gênero na vida de mulheres mães de crianças com deficiência
Historically, social relations of gender, expressed mainly in the sexual division of labor, determine the place of women in the domestic sphere, their responsibility for the care of the offspring and maintenance of the family needs, corroborating for the construction and perpetuation of inequalities between the genres. In the context of the families of people with disabilities, inequalities become more complex, since the mothers (women) are the family subjects who most adapt routinely, or dedicate themselves exclusively to the dependent child. Maternalizing a child with a disability is expressed in a singular way in the mothers’ life, since each subject has particular needs, and it can also become more difficult to depend also on the behaviors and social practices with which they bump into spaces of sociability. Based on these premises, we have as an objective: to explain, from the social relations of gender, the inequalities experienced by the mothers of children with deficiencies collaborating in the research, as well as the challenges faced by them in the daily life. The study has a qualitative nature, characterized by the sharing between the involved subjects (researcher and collaborators), where the constructed data result from the dive into the reality of real subjects, in their narratives, in the concrete and hidden movements of the investigative process. For purposes of data collection and construction, we used observation, performed in direct contact with the subjects and the institution involved; the individual semi-structured interview conducted with 07 (seven) mothers women of children with disabilities; the analysis of documents with the objective of mapping and describing the field of research and its territory. We also developed an intervention with the participation of 05 (five) of the 07 (seven) mothers interviewed. 08 (eight) meetings were held to promote spaces for reflection and sharing about the place of the mother (women), as well as providing moments of care directed to our collaborators. For evaluation purposes we elaborate and apply two evaluation instruments. As a conclusion, we emphasize that the investigation explained the maintenance of conceptions about maternity forged in the close association between religiosity and gender. The reflections and dialogues promoted showed that some processes of illness, affecting mothers, are related to the overload of activities dedicated to children and the family, as well as little time dedicated to their own needs. We have identified that the collaborators of the research experience stigmatizing processes that make their demands and needs “invisible”. It was also possible to show that, as a way of coping with the strenuous routine, women mothers construct social support networks as a strategy to alleviate the daily struggle.
Mulheres mães, Relações sociais de gênero, Deficiência
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