Document Type
Article
Version
Author's Final Manuscript
Publication Title
Feminism & Psychology
Volume
30
Publication Date
2020
Abstract
Though certainly not women’s only identity or set of responsibilities for women in conflict settings, political violence creates distinct challenges for mothers due to the additional burdens of care-taking in these contexts. Yet, given the paucity of research on the topic, we still are operating without a clear understanding of how political violence jeopardizes maternal well-being and care-taking practices. Drawing on feminist perspectives on mothering, in the analyses presented here, authors use content analysis to explore mothering and political violence from five focus groups with women in Palestine. Results demonstrate the considerable suffering mothers and children endure in war; the work mothers do to promote children’s well-being in this context; and how these efforts exhaust the psychological resources of mothers. Findings enhance a relatively small body of knowledge about the lived experiences of mothers within conflict settings, and point to the importance of tending to the strategies and needs of mothers who navigate political violence with and for their children.
Citation
Sousa, Cindy, Mona el-Zuhairi, and Manahil Siddiqi. 2020. "'The utmost strength I can bear': Strategies and psychological costs of mothering within political violence." Feminism & Psychology 30.2: 227–247.
DOI
http://doi.org/10.1177/0959353520912971