Milk as Metaphor: Low-Income Lone Mothers' Characterization of their Challenges Acquiring Milk for their Families

Abstract

This study investigated the discourses of low-income lone mothers in Atlantic Canada when they were asked to comment on challenges they faced in providing food in general, and milk in particular, for their families. Data were collected between 1999 and 2006 over the course of two studies through face-to-face interviews and focus groups. We also sought mothers' views on ways to increase access to milk. Transcripts were re-analyzed to assess the symbolic meaning of milk to these women. We found that milk is a metaphor for an elite commodity that is perceived to be vital to health and is a root source of stress.

KEYWORDS:

• milk
• food insecurity
• mothers
• metaphor

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

We thank the women who participated in our studies for sharing their experiences and insights. We also thank Bonnie Anderson and Trudy Reid, study coordinators, and Jutta Dayle and Tanya Palmer for assisting with data analysis.

Notes

¹The use of the term “lone” versus “single” mother is a widely-accepted convention in Canada and signifies that women are caring for their children alone, regardless of their marital status.

²Our specific population has been women in Atlantic Canada who are living alone with at least two children under the age of 14 years.

³For the purposes of our analyses, we briefly define these terms as follows: conceptualization—an association that has underlying meaning both in language and in thought; analogy—an expression that transfers information from one subject to another through inference; rhetoric—persuasive use of language; transformation—a phrase that has both a surface meaning and a deeper meaning; suggestiveness—comments that lead the reader to personalize thoughts and feelings conveyed; and figurativeness—not literal, similar to figures of speech.

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