"You have to put your children’s needs first or you’re really not a good mother": Black Motherhood and Self-Care Practices

Abstract

Black mothers provide a disproportionate share of unpaid and informal health care support to others, internal and external to their households. In addition, black women experience a disproportionate burden of chronic disease and healthrelated risk factors. Despite these trends, few studies have examined the impact of daily mothering on women’s self-care practices. Embodiment, an ecosocial theory applied to health disparities research, describes a process by which individuals may biologically incorporate their material and social environments. Black women and mothers have historically managed their own well-being in the context of the care of others, as well as popular images and perceptions that characterize this population as stronger, less feminine, and deviant relative to white women. In this study, we examine how black mothers understand and report their self-care as they simultaneously manage obligations to others and popular messages about black women and motherhood. Findings were based on qualitative data collected from 16 black women. Overall, we found the women reported feelings of stress. This stress seemed to be a consequence of conflicting demands of (1) maternal sacrifice, which is a component of the expectations of a "strong black woman" stereotype, and (2) self-care as it is defined and promoted by healthism.

Self-Medication-Related Behaviors and Poland’s COVID-19 Lockdown

“…Also, parents may value their children's health needs more than their own. For example, research shows that an intense need to care for their children may make it difficult for some mothers to lead a healthy lifestyle [43]. The previously mentioned time considerations may also lead people to self-medicate their children, and this can have highly negative consequences [44].…”

Formerly Incarcerated Black Mothers Matter Too: Resisting Social Constructions of Motherhood

“…Linda’s decision to donate plasma for money exemplifies both her desperation for economic survival while showing her sacrifice to ensuring the survival of her children. Throughout history, Black mothers have put their children first even at the expense of their own self-care (Nichols et al, 2015). Aligned with elements of intensive mothering, these women demonstrate incredible thoughtfulness, courage, and self-sacrifice on a daily basis to provide for and protect their children from violence, homelessness, and state intervention.…”

“…We attempt to answer the call by Garcia (2016) for more qualitative criminological research of formerly incarcerated mothers in their own words. By using an intersectional, Black feminist framework, we bring to forefront the additional burdens Black mothers face after incarceration through their narratives, to convey the message that formerly incarcerated Black mothers matter too, and engage in “motherwork” (Collins, 1994; Gurusami, 2019; Nichols, Gringle, & Pulliam, 2015) that is unique to their lived experiences.…”

We’ll Deal with it Later: African Nova Scotian Women’s Perceptions and Experiences of the Police

“…The role of mothering is intrinsic to the experiences of the women described in this paper. Black women have their experiences shaped by the hegemonic intensive view of mothering: the idea that mothering should be child-centred, labour-intensive, and that the needs of the child out-weigh the needs of the mother (Christopher 2012;Nichols et al 2015). This can be problematic for women of colour, who experience and interpret motherhood differently, with practices that are often "embedded in kin networks that nurture, counsel and heal dependents while participating in the public arena of work and sociopolitical engagement" (Lawson 2012: 823).…”

“…This can be problematic for women of colour, who experience and interpret motherhood differently, with practices that are often "embedded in kin networks that nurture, counsel and heal dependents while participating in the public arena of work and sociopolitical engagement" (Lawson 2012: 823). The responsibility of caring for their children and the larger Black community falls on Black women; the role of mother eclipses all other roles and identities (Bernard and Bernard 1998;Etowa et al 2017;Nichols et al 2015).…”