2025/09/09 by Sunniva Rivedal, Karen Synne Groven, Gunvor Aasbø · 1 voice
Social Sciences · Psychology · #Youth Education and Societal Dynamics #Grief, Bereavement, and Mental Health
paper · pdf · doi:10.1080/08038740.2025.2550420
openalex publication_date 2025/09/09 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/15
While embodiment and mother-child relations seem fruitful in explorations of pregnancy and breast-feeding, such perspectives are less evident in research on mothers’ experiences of caring for small children while working outside the home. To address this lacuna and provide fresh perspectives on stress and time management we ask: What characterizes the bodily and temporal experiences of mothers with small children in everyday life working and caring for their children? Using a qualitative design with a phenomenological lens, we argue for the relevance of the concept of the mommy-body: mothers experienced bodily sensitivity towards their small children. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 18 women in Norway working within different employment models and from various educational, occupational, and geographical backgrounds. Conducting thematic analysis, three complementary themes where developed reflecting different aspects of participants’ stress-related bodily and temporal experiences: “Balancing time to attend children’s need for closeness”; “Balancing time to accommodate children’s need for independence” and “Balancing time in the context of different work models”. Taken together, these findings imply the importance of a rhythmic, inter-corporeal temporality – one of being-with and separate-from one’s children – in working mothers’ experiences of stress and childcare.