The purpose of this study was to explore the meaning of the experience of foregoing motherhood in the context of a lesbian identity. Five lesbian mothers and five lesbian non-mothers were interviewed using a guided in-depth interview format. Lesbian mothers were included because it was believed that they could articulate the meaning that the pursuit of motherhood had for them; thus shedding light on the converse experience of foregoing motherhood. Five common themes emerged about the meaning of foregoing motherhood: Self perception and understanding of self; Self as a lesbian; Self in relation to others; Self in relation to the decision to either pursue or forego motherhood; and Self in the future. Results indicate that self understanding was the most salient source of meaning for narrators; most of whom reported having an intuitive sense of whether or not they were predisposed for motherhood. Results also suggest that lesbian identity was not a salient factor in the decision to forego motherhood, except in one case in which internalized homophobia precluded the narrator from following her internal predilection for motherhood. Partner relationships were cited as one of the few factors that could conceivably force a reconsideration of the decision to forego motherhood. Family of origin was a salient source of meaning, but not as salient as the narrator's own sense of internal predilection about motherhood. The decision to forego motherhood was an easy one for most narrators because it was in line with who they internally knew themselves to be. Interestingly enough though, non-motherhood was not a salient aspect of identity for non-mothers in this study. And finally, non-mothers had less of a clear sense about their future identity and/or future familial relationships than did their mothering peers. A review of existent literature, limitations of the study, a comparison of results to the existent literature and the associated practical and research implications are presented, as are a comprehensive presentation and analysis of results. In conclusion, this study articulates the need for further research on the experience of foregoing motherhood in the context of a lesbian identity.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UMASS/oai:scholarworks.umass.edu:dissertations-2869 |
| Date | 01 January 1997 |
| Creators | Feeney, Elizabeth Ann |
| Publisher | ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst |
| Source Sets | University of Massachusetts, Amherst |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Source | Doctoral Dissertations Available from Proquest |
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