[연구논문] 장애여성과 모성경험의 이중적 의미

Women with Disabilities and the Double Meaning of Mothering

Women with disabilities are one of the most vulnerable and marginalized groups in society. Disabled women have historically been neglected by those concerned with issues of disability. It is only within the last decade that serious attempts have been made to identify and understand the forces shaping the lives and experiences of women with disabilities. This article attempts to understand and interpret the voices and experiences of women with disabilities. In-Depth interviews were conducted with 27 mothers with disabilities to grasp the meaning of mothering to them. I am highly critical of the institution of motherhood under patriarchy, but recognize that the experience of mothering can lead to agency and pleasure for women. I also believe that liberating the institution of motherhood from patriarchal control would result in an improved experience of mothering. Societal views of disabled women include the belief that they cannot be good mothers. If they cannot perform some day-to-day functions without assistance, they may be seen as depriving their children of "normal" lives. Disabled women may be discouraged from nursing or taking care of children. Paradoxically, they exert themselves to the utmost to fulfill the norms of good mothering. For all women with disabilities who will be good mothers, the ideology of the good mother operates not as a regulatory mechanism, but as a sine qua non. Strong will to be a good mother occurs via the internalization of the norms of good mothering and also through the imposition of norms through a variety of social agencies. In this study, it is accepted as a working hypothesis that mothers with disabilities have concrete daily experiences of motherhood that produce both pleasure and pain. After all, mothering creates ambivalence. It demands life changes, sometimes, unleashing feelings that can quite literally drive mothers crazy. Women with disabilities can find themselves experiencing unexpected emotions such as anger and gnawing guilt rather than an idealized version of mothering that involves only positive emotions and experiences, Mothers with disabilities need support, particularly if they are on their own, but the current conceptualization of mothering denies women with physical disabilities the chance to come to terms with the confusing mixture of experiences and emotions that mothering involves.