Tecendo sentidos sobre maternidades, espaços domésticos e pandemia

Abstract

The Covid-19 pandemic has brought about a series of changes in domestic spaces, particularly regarding care demands. Historically, we understand that in society, women, especially those who experience motherhood, are more responsible for domestic work and childcare. The perspective of intersectionality invites us to understand that the inequalities present in the distribution and exercise of care are deeply influenced not only by gender but also by markers of race, class, among others. By considering care as an inherent dimension of the human condition, we affirm its value and prioritize it in the debate that the pandemic has sparked. This research led us to understand the production of meanings of motherhood experiences in the context of the pandemic, based on open interviews with four mothers. The approaches around this understanding were shaped by the movement to investigate care experiences considering the perspective of intersectionality, as well as through the analysis of linguistic repertoires identified in the narratives of the interviewed mothers. The results point to a burden that the interviewed mothers feel when trying to balance paid work with caregiving responsibilities at home for their daughters and sons, often leading to conflicts regarding the sharing of responsibilities with the children's fathers, feelings of self-demand, guilt, while also expressing satisfaction in exercising motherhood. The research demonstrated that motherhood experiences, especially in the context of the pandemic, are built upon contradictions of feelings and desires, and in this sense, these experiences can be understood both as individual and collective. The research invites us to complex and situated problematizations regarding discussions that link motherhood, domestic work, and the pandemic, thus demonstrating the relevance of making them central in the context of public policies and society as a whole.