‘Good Motherhood’ – A Dilemma for Migrant Women from Eastern Europe

  • Citation: Lutz, Helma. “Good Motherhood- A Dilemma for Migrant Women from Eastern Europe.” in An Anthology of Migration and Social Transformation, edited by Anna Amelina, Kenneth Horvath, and Bruno Meeus, 245–58. Springer, 2016.
    • Topics:
    • Country and Regional Studies
    • Keywords:
    • migration
    • women
    • motherhood
    • Poland
    • Ukraine

This chapter is concerned with the ideological construct of ‘good motherhood’, which seems to be a heavy burden for working migrant mothers from the post-socialist states. As circular migrants, they leave their home (temporarily) and seek employment abroad as caregivers in order to provide for their children and families. Their outward-bound mobility proves to be inconsistent with post-transition discourses on motherhood, and they are caught in dilemmas. Based on interviews with Polish and Ukrainian care migrants, I will analyze the meaning of ‘good motherhood’ for these women and demonstrate how a globalizing discourse on ‘good motherhood’ ideology impedes decent mothering practices.

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