Indian Journal of Industrial Relations: Economics & Social Dev.

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Normalizing Maternal Stoicism at the Workplace: Understanding Indian Mothers at Work


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1 Ph.D. Research Scholars, School of Management and Labor Studies, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, VN Purav Marg, Deonar, Mumbai 400088, India
     

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Working mothers encounter several quandaries in their careers; the most common among them being the dual burden of satisfying masculine ex pect at i ons at workpl ace and obliging to the feminine caretaking duties to their children. Most often the un-welcome feeling at the workplace and constant discouragement from the family force them to leave paid jobs to take up full-time motherhood. Through the narratives of 28 full-time working mothers across different fields, this study examines in some depth maternal stoicism as an efficient coping mechanism that keeps them working even through spells of discomforts, which could be both physical and psychological. Also, the study explores the possible effects these stoic practices have on their efficacy levels, as they negotiate.



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  • Normalizing Maternal Stoicism at the Workplace: Understanding Indian Mothers at Work

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Authors

Aparna M Varma
Ph.D. Research Scholars, School of Management and Labor Studies, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, VN Purav Marg, Deonar, Mumbai 400088, India
Rahul Sivarajan
Ph.D. Research Scholars, School of Management and Labor Studies, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, VN Purav Marg, Deonar, Mumbai 400088, India

Abstract


Working mothers encounter several quandaries in their careers; the most common among them being the dual burden of satisfying masculine ex pect at i ons at workpl ace and obliging to the feminine caretaking duties to their children. Most often the un-welcome feeling at the workplace and constant discouragement from the family force them to leave paid jobs to take up full-time motherhood. Through the narratives of 28 full-time working mothers across different fields, this study examines in some depth maternal stoicism as an efficient coping mechanism that keeps them working even through spells of discomforts, which could be both physical and psychological. Also, the study explores the possible effects these stoic practices have on their efficacy levels, as they negotiate.



References