The choice of studying motherhood was born out of our own self- perceived experiences as mothers, and in the sense of having a “book of rules” constantly present in the motherly role. Throughout times the motherly discourses surrounding motherhood have included aspects such as caring for and nurturing children, to take care of the household chores and to overall have an all seeing eye over the logistics of the home. In contrast, the men´s primary task is to provide the family with economic capital. ”The good mother”- this pure madonna figure, is often linked to a naturalness discourse which points towards women as created to bear children, giving birth and then finding themselves instinctively knowing how to take care of the newborn. This idea of motherhood as the women´s primary task is traditional in the sense of being rooted in historical contexts. Through a qualitative study, we wish to contribute to a wider understanding of the complex ways in which discourses work and affect the individual lives of women adulging in motherhood, focusing on their own experiences of motherhood. We have chosen to interview nine women from three different families, in each family three generations. Previous research points at two big discourses in western society- the naturalness discourse and the discourse surrounding gender equality. With a focus on these two discourses the study also is carried out with a lifecourse perspective as a way of capture the very important aspect of time. Time is a central part in our attempt to understand the ways in which discourses work, travels and modifies over time. Our findings, watching three generations of mothers reinforces the picture of the work towards equality is both complex and far from done. The motherly discourses are, even today, often characterized by a traditional thinking motivated by and linked to a perception of the natural when it comes to the different roles men and women are attributed. This, in turn, causes a collision with a “modern” discourse surrounding equality. Nowadays the roles embedded in the gender contract is overall more equal than before. Thus you could expect women to, in greater occurence, be freed of the discursive fetters. Despite this, this study points at the opposite direction, leaving us with a feeling of failure when it comes to gender equality. A traditional discourse of “the good mother” is still present in a modified “modern” version. Women in western society therefor are free when it comes to a lot of aspects, but not fully free in the sense of being themselves in the motherly role.

Syftet med avhandlingen är att utforska äldre människors föreställningar om och förhållningssätt till den egna framtiden, döendet och döden. Det är ämnen som hittills har fått begränsad uppmärksamhet. En bakomliggande orsak till detta är att äldreforskning och dödsforskning sällan har förenats. Dessutom synliggörs äldres döende och död nästan inte alls i offentlig debatt, trots att ålderdomen är den fas i livet då döden normalt inträffar. Studien bygger på kvalitativa intervjuer med 27 äldre kvinnor och män i åldrarna 70–91 år, vilka alla bodde i ordinärt boende och betraktade sig själva som relativt friska. Genomförande, analys och tolkning av intervjuerna har utgått från ett livsloppsperspektiv, där både en abduktiv och en hermeneutisk ansats tillämpades. I analys och tolkning framkom kontrasterande mönster i de intervjuades funderingar på den egna framtiden och döden, i deras samtal med någon om döden, i deras erfarenheter av döende och död, och i vad de trodde hände efter döden. Resultaten visar också att funderingar och agerande inför en krympande framtid utgjorde centrala inslag i de äldres vardag och att de intervjuade laborerade med olika tidshorisonter. Ett annat resultat handlar vad som är rätt tidpunkt i livet för att fundera på döden, samtala med andra om döden, för att planera inför döden och för ett ”efter döden”. Det är en komplex bild av äldres föreställningar om den egna framtiden, döendet och döden som framkommit, där teman som åldersmönster, ett förlängt livslopp, ansvar, kontroll och värdighet är centrala inslag. Avhandlingens resultat kan bidra till en bättre förståelse för äldre människors situation i ljuset av en krympande framtid, döende och död. / The aim of the dissertation is to explore older people´s thoughts and conceptions about their own future, death and dying. It is an academic field that, to date, has received limited attention. One reason for this is that gerontology and thanatology has rarely worked together. The discussion is also absent from public debate. At the same time, advanced age is normally the time when death occurs. The study is based on qualitative interviews with 27 older women and men, aged 70-91, all of whom lived in ordinary housing and who regarded themselves as being in good health. The research process, in all phases, adopted a lifecourse perspective, and both abductive and hermeneutic analytic tools were used. The analysis and the interpretations revealed contrasting patterns regarding whether the participants thought about their future and death, had conversations about these subjects, whether they had previous experience related to dying and death, and their ideas about what happens after death. The results indicated that reflections about and actions to handle a diminishing future were central elements in the everyday life of the participants, who experimented with various time horizons. A key pattern concerned what was “the right time” for reflections about death, and for the planning of arrangements related to death. A complex overall picture of older people´s conceptions about their future, death and dying emerged in the results, where age patterns, a prolonged life course, responsibility, control and dignity were central themes. The results may contribute to a better understanding of older people´s existential situation, in the face of a diminishing future, death and dying.