Being a mother and a nurse: issues about gender and overlapping social roles

Bruna Caroline Rodrigues; Muriel Fernanda de Lima; Bruno Maschio Neto; Graziela Lopes de Oliveira; Aurea Christina de Paula Corrêa; Ieda Harumi Higarashi

doi:10.15253/2175-6783.2017000100013

Authors

Bruna Caroline Rodrigues Universidade Estadual de Maringá
Muriel Fernanda de Lima Universidade Estadual de Maringá
Bruno Maschio Neto Universidade Estadual de Maringá
Graziela Lopes de Oliveira Universidade Estadual de Maringá
Aurea Christina de Paula Corrêa Universidade Federal do Mato Grosso
Ieda Harumi Higarashi Universidade Estadual de Maringá

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15253/2175-6783.2017000100013

Keywords:

Gender Identity, Nursing, Mother-Child Relations, Women’s Health.

Abstract

Objective: to describe the experiences of nursing mothers in the reconciliation of their social roles. Methods: this is a qualitative study with 10 nursing mothers. Participants were selected using the snowball method, and through semi-structured interviews. The data were analyzed by the content analysis. Results: the data found led to the configuration of three categories: Learning to be a mother, Reconciling the different social roles: being a mother, wife and professional, and The father as an active participant in raising children. Conclusion:although maternity is considered an important milestone in the life of the subjects, they highlighted the resumption of professional life as a condition for the achievement of self-esteem and better social interaction, even with the emergence of difficulties such as return to work, absence in their families and the configuration of a support network.