Pregnant Women of Mexican Descent: Constructions of Motherhood

Abstract

Past research related to pregnancy outcomes has tended to have a bio-medical focus. More recent research has begun to explore possible social and cultural influences on birth outcomes. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 28 pregnant women of Mexican descent in the Texas/Mexico border region to begin to describe the social and cultural contexts of pregnancy of women of Mexican ancestry. Participants' constructions surrounding pregnancy focused on the mother role. Goodness of fit between constructions of the mother role and women's lives and self-concepts resulted in positive or negative feelings about motherhood.

Keywords:

• pregnancy
• maternal role
• stress
• Mexican Americans
• Mexican immigrants

Partial support for this research was provided by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

Notes

1. Words or phrases that do not translate easily from Spanish into English will be presented in both languages.