White mothers have historically felt exempt from discussing race and racism with their children and have placed this added emotional labor onto mothers of color (Depouw and Matias, 2016; Priest et al., 2014). Budding anti-racism scholarship has begun to examine why well-intending white parents report an interest in engaging in anti-racism but fail to follow-through (Aanerud, 2007; Allen, 2017; Comeau, 2007; Depouw and Matias, 2016; Gillen-O'Neel et al., 2021; Hagerman, 2014, 2018; Matlock and DiAngelo, 2015; Priest et al., 2014; Vittrup, 2016; Zucker and Patterson, 2018). While this body of literature has highlighted important missteps and shortcomings of white families' engagement in anti-racism, examining how maternal socialization, within the current intensive mothering (IM) paradigm (Hays, 1996), informs the integration of anti-racism has yet to be considered. Guided by symbolic interactionism and feminist theories and methodology, this study functions to answer the following research questions: (1) How might, if at all, race, gender, and class socialization inform affluent white mothers' adoption of IM? (2) What is the process of affluent white mothers challenging or adopting IM to incorporate anti-racism into their maternal identity and mothering practices? and (3) What are the perceived barriers or motivators, if any, to affluent white mothers' integration of anti-racism within the current IM paradigm? Data from 18 semi-structured, virtual individual interviews with affluent white mothers, post-interview survey questions, and follow-up member checking interview questions derived from coded transcripts were analyzed using constructivist grounded theory. Findings indicate that affluent white mothers who endorse interest in engaging in anti-racism within the context of IM report several tensions within the process of integrating anti-racism into their existing maternal identity. Foundational to each of these tensions is internalized white supremacy and gender ideologies that surface in striving to excel at both IM and anti-racism. While tenets of IM (i.e., all-consuming; labor intensive) and white supremacy (i.e., perfectionism; bigger is better; either/or thinking) presented as perceived barriers toward integration of anti-racism into maternal identity, some tenets of IM (i.e., optimal child outcomes; professionally informed) were named as motivation for this sample to incorporate anti-racism into their maternal identity and daily practice. Aligning with optimal child outcomes and professionally-informed mothering, two points of intervention were named, creating space for the development and assessment of future interventions aimed to increase the presence of anti- racism within white mothering. / Doctor of Philosophy / White families have historically felt exempt from discussing race and racism with their children and have placed this added emotional labor onto families of color (Depouw and Matias, 2016; Priest et al., 2014). Budding anti-racism scholarship has begun to examine why well-intending white parents report an interest in engaging in anti-racism but fail to follow-through (Aanerud, 2007; Allen, 2017; Comeau, 2007; Depouw and Matias, 2016; Gillen-O'Neel et al., 2021; Hagerman, 2014, 2018; Matlock and DiAngelo, 2015; Priest et al., 2014; Vittrup, 2016; Zucker and Patterson, 2018). While this body of literature has highlighted important missteps and shortcomings of white families' engagement in anti-racism, examining how maternal socialization, within the current intensive mothering (IM) paradigm (Hays, 1996), informs the integration of anti-racism has yet to be considered. Guided by symbolic interactionism and feminist theories and methodology, this study functions to answer the following research questions: (1) How might, if at all, race, gender, and class socialization inform affluent white mothers' adoption of IM? (2) What is the process of affluent white mothers challenging or adopting IM to incorporate anti-racism into their maternal identity and mothering practices? and (3) What are the perceived barriers or motivators, if any, to affluent white mothers' integration of anti-racism within the current IM paradigm? Findings indicate that affluent white mothers who endorse interest in engaging in anti-racism within the context of IM report several tensions within the process of integrating anti-racism into their existing maternal identity. Foundational to each of these tensions is internalized white supremacy and gender ideologies that surface in striving to excel at both IM and anti-racism. While tenets of IM (i.e., optimal child outcomes; professionally informed) presented as perceived barriers toward integration of anti-racism into maternal identity, some tenets of IM (optimal child outcomes, professionally informed) were named as motivation for this sample to incorporate anti-racism into their maternal identity and daily practice. Aligning with optimal child outcomes and professionally informed mothering, two points of intervention were named, creating space for the development and assessment of future interventions aimed to increase the presence of anti-racism within white mothering.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / This study explored the experiences of raising children in the context of living with HIV/AIDS. In the fall of 2007, semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with 17 HIV-positive mothers (8 African American and 9 white) living in Indiana. Spillover theory was used to describe the interacting effects of the experience of living with HIV/AIDS and the experience of motherhood on one another. Findings indicate that maternal ideologies critically affected how the women experienced both their HIV-positive status and their mothering experiences. Findings also show that the mothers developed strategies to help them reconcile their valued identity as mothers with a stigmatized identity as HIV-positive women. Recommendations are made regarding directions for future research, social policy, and social service provision.