Pregnancy, Motherhood, and Family: Stories Behind Bars
Resilience and Familism: The Dynamic Nature of Families in the Philippines
ISBN: 978-1-80455-415-9, eISBN: 978-1-80455-414-2
Publication date: 10 August 2023
Abstract
Imprisonment can severely impact and disrupt women’s childbearing and parenting experiences. Building on Sykes’ (1958) “pains of imprisonment” and the expanded “gendered pains of imprisonment” proposed by feminist scholars, this chapter examines the pregnancy and mothering experiences of 18 Filipino incarcerated women. This study has illuminated women’s diverse and distinct situations expressed in three broad themes: (a) lack of control and autonomy, (b) disrupted mothering role, and (c) social networks as coping resources. The findings demonstrated how women’s institutionally imposed “prisoner identity” overshadows their pregnancy status and mothering role, exacerbated by their experiences of systemic scarcity, restricted contact with family, and limited autonomy. Finally, the results illustrated how emotional and material support from social networks (family and prison peers) helped women cope with the pains of imprisonment.
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Acknowledgements
Acknowledgments
The author would like to thank the University of Otago for the Ph.D. scholarship. Furthermore, the author is grateful to the participants for sharing their experiences.
Citation
Nieva, R. (2023), "Pregnancy, Motherhood, and Family: Stories Behind Bars", Gregorio, V.L., Batan, C.M. and Blair, S.L. (Ed.) Resilience and Familism: The Dynamic Nature of Families in the Philippines (Contemporary Perspectives in Family Research, Vol. 23), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 35-50. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1530-353520230000023003
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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