Thesis advisor: Eve Spangler / Using a three article, mixed methods format, this dissertation will examine the profound pressures placed on women to conform to "good" mothering standards within the context of raising children with neurological disabilities. Furthermore, this work will offer critical insights into political and bureaucratic mechanisms that present barriers to mothers' advocacy on behalf of their children with neurological disabilities. * Article One will explore the cultural context and performance of intensive mothering as well as structural barriers to fulfilling the image of a "good mother" from the standpoint of middle class mothers raising children with neurological disabilities. * Article Two will consider low income mothers' experiences navigating bureaucratic support systems for children with neurological disabilities and situate those experiences within the context of the intensive mothering ideal. * Article Three will examine the bureaucratic systems designed by a patchwork of federal laws to support people with disabilities and their families and how these systems both aid and undermine mothers' achievement of the intensive mothering ideal. Ultimately, this work will be used to shape policy recommendations to facilitate mothers' increased access to needed supportive services for children with neurological disabilities. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2011. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Sociology.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:BOSTON/oai:dlib.bc.edu:bc-ir_101907 |
| Date | January 2011 |
| Creators | Sousa, Amy Christine |
| Publisher | Boston College |
| Source Sets | Boston College |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text, thesis |
| Format | electronic, application/pdf |
| Rights | Copyright is held by the author, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise noted. |
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