Academic literature on the topic 'Disempowered mother'

Meera Syal’s latest novel, The House of Hidden Mothers (2015), depicts the current practice of international surrogacy and raises questions about this form of reproduction which commodifies babies and constructs poor women’s bodies in India and elsewhere as sites of reproductive exploitation. Nonetheless, Syal’s novel challenges an initial reading of Indian surrogate mothers as mere passive victims of western capitalist demands and depicts a surrogate mother, Mala, who constantly subverts her position as a disempowered, ‘third world’ woman. I shall argue that the novel bridges the discursive western-constructed gap between ‘poor and disempowered’ Indian women and ‘rich and empowered’ British ones explicitly through its ending, but also implicitly by engaging with gender concerns related to the perception, (re)presentation and exploitation of women’s bodies in the United Kingdom and India alike.

The last several decades have witnessed the publication of many revisionist and self-critical superhero comics, yet the most critically discussed of these focus on the straight white male characters who have always dominated the genre. In contrast, the ongoing series Alias (2001–4) stars Jessica Jones, a superhero turned private investigator who is empowered by a radioactive accident yet disempowered by her gender within a male-dominated superhero community that both excludes women and actively abuses them. This article argues that Alias redresses the superhero genre's marginalization and victimization of female characters by emphasizing Jessica's complex subjectivity and implicating male superheroes in her multifaceted abuse. It also considers Jessica's translation into more traditional comics series, wherein she becomes sidelined as a wife and stay-at-home mother; these series prove the difficulty of maintaining progressive politics within genres where the visual and narrative conventions are so steeped in gender stereotypes.

Background Tackling malnutrition is a global health priority, helping children both survive and thrive. Acute malnutrition (wasting) in infants aged under 6 months (u6m) is often neglected. Worldwide, some 8.5 million infants u6m are affected yet recent World Health Organization malnutrition guidelines highlight numerous evidence gaps on how to best manage them. To inform future research, policy and programming, we aimed to identify risk factors associated with infant u6m wasting. Methods We did secondary data analysis of nationally representative, cross sectional Demographic and Health Surveys conducted in the last 10 years. We compared wasted infants u6m (weight-for-length <−2 z-scores) vs. non-wasted (weight-for-length ≥−2 z-score). We used simple and adjusted (for infant age, sex, socio-economic status) logistic regression to calculate odds of wasting associated with risk factors spanning three broad categories: household-related; maternal-related; infant-related. Results We analysed 16,123 infants u6m from 20 countries. Multiple risk factors were statistically associated with wasting. These included: poverty (Odds ratio, OR 1.22 (95% CI [1.01–1.48], p = 0.04)); low maternal body mass index (adjusted OR 1.53(1.29–1.80, p < 0.001); small infant size at birth (aOR 1.32(1.10–1.58, p < 0.01)); delayed start of breastfeeding (aOR 1.31(1.13–1.51, p < 0.001)); prelacteal feed (aOR 1.34(1.18–1.53, p < 0.001)); recent history of diarrhoea (aOR 1.37(1.12–1.67, p < 0.01)); mother disempowered (experiences violence; does not make decisions about health issues; does not engage with health services such as antenatal care, does not give birth in a health facility). ‘Protective’ factors associated with significantly decreased odds of infant u6m wasting included: educated mother (OR 0.64(0.54–0.76, p < 0.001)); mother in work (OR 0.82(0.72–0.94, p < 0.01)); currently breastfed (aOR 0.62(0.42–0.91, p = 0.02)), exclusively breastfed (aOR 0.84(0.73–0.97, p = 0.02). Discussion Infant u6m wasting is a complex, multifactorial problem associated with many risk factors; knowing them will help shape international and national management strategies. Whilst our observational study cannot prove causation, many factors identified are biologically plausible and/or socially important. They should be considered when assessing and managing infants u6m. Although supporting breastfeeding is core to future interventions, this alone is unlikely to be sufficient; strategies should involve multiple sectors, beyond just health and nutrition. By noting our results, future intervention studies could focus resources and maximise chances of achieving impact.

Africa as a continent has been devastated by the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome epidemic caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Women are more likely to acquire HIV/AIDS for a number of reasons and incidence studies show that younger women are particularly at risk of HIV acquisition. Biologically, they are more vulnerable and the acquisition of HIV can be influenced by hormonal contraceptives as well as sexually transmitted infections, which are often more asymptomatic than is the case for men. Women in Africa are also more vulnerable because of cultural issues; in some countries polygamy is accepted practice. Women are often economically disadvantaged and disempowered. It is often hard for them to insist on the use of condoms with husbands and regular partners. Physical and sexual abuse of women, including rape, remains a major problem on the continent, particularly in times of civil war. Many women are forced to work as sex workers or be involved in transactional sex in order to survive. Most countries rely on anonymous antenatal surveys to generate HIV seroprevalence data for women of reproductive age. These data is often used as surrogate markers for HIV prevalence rates in men of a similar age. The seroprevalence of HIV among pregnant women differs remarkably around the continent, with the highest rates being seen in Southern Africa, as high as 30%, and much lower rates being seen in West Africa. These reasons underlying these differences are complex and not completely understood. UNAIDS estimated in 2005 that 470�000 (87%) of the world's 540�000 newly infected children (<15 years old) reside in Sub-Saharan Africa. Prevention of mother to child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV is thus a national priority in many Sub-Saharan African countries. Despite policies, treatment is sometimes not given at the clinic level for several reasons, and when it is, most commonly it is with single dose Nevirapine. Data from South Africa has shown that both mothers and infected babies rapidly acquire nevirapine resistance. It is likely that this will lead to early failure of first line antiretroviral (ARV) therapy among these mothers once they start their ARVs. In South Africa, for example, either efavirenz or nevirapine form the backbone of the first-line ARV regimens. AIDS defining illnesses (ADIs) in women living in Africa are similar to those observed in men. Tuberculosis is the most common ADI but other life-threatening illnesses such as cryptococcal meningitis are relatively common compared to other parts of the world. Cervical cancer and cervical intra-epithelial neoplasia (CIN) lesions are more common in HIV-infected than in non-infected women. Most countries in Africa do not have cervical screening programmes and, even in richer countries such as South Africa, the national policy is to screen women three times in their life at 30, 40 and 50 years of age. Many HIV specialist centres, with additional donor funds, are now attempting to perform annual cervical screening, at least in South Africa.

The aim of this study was to understand adolescent mothers’ childbirth experiences. Semistructured interviews were conducted with participants recruited from a community-based program for adolescent mothers. Fourteen mothers described their birth experiences. Using a narrative analytic approach, responses were reconstructed into birth stories. Stories, condensed into poetic form, were compared and contrasted. Four unique categories emerged: connected births, surreal births, disconnected births, and disempowered births. Categories differed by agency, support, and emotional tone. Positive support was found in stories that portrayed high agency and positive affect, whereas problematic support was apparent in stories that conveyed passivity, frustration, and disappointment. This study has implications for tailoring childbirth education for adolescent mothers and can inform health-care professionals working with this population.

Young children who live with domestic violence represent a significantly disempowered group. Developmentally, young children have relatively limited verbal skills and emotional literacy. In addition, the context created by domestic violence frequently involves an atmosphere of secrecy and intimidation, as well as reduced emotional availability from children’s main caregivers. Taken together, these factors severely restrict these young children’s capacity and opportunities to make their voices and needs heard. This qualitative study gave children who had lived with domestic violence, the opportunity to share their emotional worlds through projective play and drawing assessments. Eight children aged between 5 and 9-years-old, took part together with their mothers. Transcripts of semi-structured interviews with the mothers and projective play assessments with the children were analysed using abbreviated, social constructionist grounded theory. Interpretations from the children’s drawings served to elaborate and validate themes found in the transcript data. Themes were then linked and mapped into an initial theoretical model of how domestic violence impacts emotionally on young children. The data gathered shows that domestic violence generates a range of negative and overwhelming emotions for young children. There is also a concurrent disrupting impact on the dynamics in the family which undermines the security and containment young children need to manage and process their emotions. The presence of an attuned adult and age-appropriate means to communicate is argued to be important in supporting young and traumatised children to share their emotions. Implications for service planning, clinical practice and educational professionals are discussed.

Previous research has continuously identified a need for a comprehensive model of working with first mothers in adoption. This gap in knowledge has hindered the development of services, to the detriment of the quality of life and well-being of this group. This study seeks to remedy this deficiency by exploring the lived experiences of Irish mothers who have lost a child through closed adoption. It aims to expand understanding of the impact of such loss, in particular exploring how it affects their journey of reconnection and reunion with their child in adulthood. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken with six women from Ireland who had lost a child in this way and their narratives were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Two superordinate themes emerged from the data: ‘Motherhood concealed: the loss of autonomy and connection’ and ‘Motherhood revealed: a pathway towards autonomy and reconnection’. Within each superordinate theme, two subordinate ones were identified: ‘Dehumanised, disempowered and dismissed’, ‘Coping through disconnection’, ‘Breaking the silence’ and ‘Reunion and reconnection’. The first two of these encapsulate the loss of personal autonomy and connectedness resulting from the loss of a child and how participants coped with it. The two others describe the participants’ experiences of growth in personal autonomy and agency through the process of breaking the silence of their concealed motherhood and of reconnection and reunification with their now adult children. The findings indicate that engaging in therapeutic services and/or with adoption peer support enables participants to express their feelings of grief and move from coping strategies dominated by disconnection to ones marked by the autonomous processing of emotion and new coping patterns. The process of reunification with their children plays a significant role in this transition.

This case study examines the phenomenon of dakwahtainment, a concept amalgamating Islamic propagation and entertainment. It focuses on the highly popular daily live programme entitled Hati ke Hati Bersama Mamah Dedeh (literally: Heart to Heart with Mother Dedeh). The programme involves a female penceramah (preacher) providing taws}iyyah or nasehat (spiritual advice) to the jamaah (congregation), while offering religious verdicts on various aspects of life confronting Indonesian women. One of the main pillars of the programme’s success has been its tightly observed winning formula held dearly by the producer and the creative team, which stipulates 70% tuntunan (spiritual guidance) and 30% tontonan (entertainment viewing). Based on an exploratory, single case study design, research findings suggest that the Hati ke Hati Bersama Mamah Dedeh programme is constructed on a gendered understanding that is inconsistent and contradictory, which tend to simultaneously empower and disempower Muslim women viewers.[Tulisan ini merupakan studi kasus mengenai dakwahtainmen yang mempertemukan dakwah pada satu sisi dan hiburan pada sisi lainnya. Diskusi akan difokuskan pada program televisi “Hati ke Hati Bersama Mamah Dedeh.” Program ini melibatkan penceramah yang menyampaikan taws}iyyah dan nasehat yang merespon persoalan-persoalan yang kerap dihadapi perempuan Muslim di Indonesia. Salah satu kunci kesuksesan program ini adalah keberhasilan produser dan tim kreatif yang memadukan 70% tuntunan dan 30% tontonan. Tulisan ini menemukan bahwa program Hati ke Hati Bersama Mamah Dedeh dikonstruk berdasarkan pengertian relasi gender yang rancu dan saling bertentangan. Karena itu, program ini dapat memberdayakan pemirsa perempuan dan sekaligus memperlemah mereka.]

This article examines a relationship between ethnic celebrities and diasporic communities by focusing on one case of Korean diasporic women gossiping about Korean actress Seo Min-jung. After a 10-year hiatus following her sudden migration to the United States and marriage to a Korean American dentist in 2007, Seo made a successful comeback to show business by starring in Korean reality shows and opening her Instagram account. Seo’s struggles as a Korean immigrant woman/housewife/mother, portrayed in TV shows and on Instagram, positively resonated with diasporic Korean women’s online communities (DKWOC). This positive discourse around Seo, however, transformed into celebrity bashing when her Instagram scandal happened in 2019. We trace the change of gossip around Seo in DKWOC concerning Korean diasporic women’s identity and status. We argue that DKWOC members’ gossiping of Seo functions as a way of coping with their situation, as they come to recognise the class difference between themselves and Seo and feel disempowered by their dissatisfying circumstances as immigrants.

A Mother and Son Khilim records some of the images and myths from 22000 BCE to the present which locate the Oedipus myth in a history that makes sense of my emotional and intellectual responses to it. This chapter includes summarises of the story and its forbears which the reader will need to hold in mind through the later chapters of the thesis. A Sampler - Hypotheses, Questions, Themes introduces the main arguments as well as a summary of my conclusions from the inquiry, and some poetry and other writing which is intended to establish an atmosphere for the work. Oedipal Kings: Abandoned Boys and the Patriarchal Pattern provides an analysis of Sophocles' King Oedipus in support of my hypothesis that he is the mythic father of patriachal social structures and, therefore, that his life story might be viewed as a template for the formation of new patriachs. The chapter also includes a study of some contemporary eminent men in which I focus on the way early experiences of abandonment typically affect their adult behaviours. Silent Women presents Queen Jocasta as archetypal disempowered mother/ wife along with four contemporary women. The true self of each of the contemporary women was mute for many years as a result of negative or absent paternal experiences during adolescence. The Social Ecology of Mythic Thebes: A Study of Fate and Destiny in Patriarchal Culture extrapolates Jung's ideas about causality and teleology in individuals to the cultural setting of Oedipus's city state. The chapter concludes by contrasting the continuing disaster in Thebes with Oedipus's achievement of individuation. Resounding the silence is the title of the cycle of songs I wrote. This section includes the lyrics of all the songs.
Master of Science (Hons) (Social Ecology)

A Mother and Son Khilim records some of the images and myths from 22000 BCE to the present which locate the Oedipus myth in a history that makes sense of my emotional and intellectual responses to it. This chapter includes summarises of the story and its forbears which the reader will need to hold in mind through the later chapters of the thesis. A Sampler - Hypotheses, Questions, Themes introduces the main arguments as well as a summary of my conclusions from the inquiry, and some poetry and other writing which is intended to establish an atmosphere for the work. Oedipal Kings: Abandoned Boys and the Patriarchal Pattern provides an analysis of Sophocles' King Oedipus in support of my hypothesis that he is the mythic father of patriachal social structures and, therefore, that his life story might be viewed as a template for the formation of new patriachs. The chapter also includes a study of some contemporary eminent men in which I focus on the way early experiences of abandonment typically affect their adult behaviours. Silent Women presents Queen Jocasta as archetypal disempowered mother/ wife along with four contemporary women. The true self of each of the contemporary women was mute for many years as a result of negative or absent paternal experiences during adolescence. The Social Ecology of Mythic Thebes: A Study of Fate and Destiny in Patriarchal Culture extrapolates Jung's ideas about causality and teleology in individuals to the cultural setting of Oedipus's city state. The chapter concludes by contrasting the continuing disaster in Thebes with Oedipus's achievement of individuation. Resounding the silence is the title of the cycle of songs I wrote. This section includes the lyrics of all the songs.

Nineteenth-century U.S. telegraphers created literatures that debated new social roles in the virtual realm for various political minorities. Such U.S. telegraphers as Mattie Kuhn and Abraham Burstein develop autobiographies and fictions of poor working telegraphers who successfully use telegraphic networks to empower themselves and others like them to seek higher wages, stronger communities, and better lives. In literatures written by telegraphers, knowledge of telegraphic social networks wins everything from eight-hour work days for single mothers to reunions with long-lost family members in the lives of telegraphers whom corporate or government elites conspire to disempower.