Mothering in the margin: a narrative inquiry of women with children in a homeless shelter

ABSTRACT Women living with their children in residential treatment family homeless shelters are often stigmatized on multiple fronts: for their addictions, being “homeless”, and assumptions about their mothering skills. This qualitative narrative inquiry study explored women’s experiences of living in a homeless shelter with their children as they recover from alcohol/drug addiction. Specifically, we examined the various ways in which the women conceptualized and performed mothering while residing at the New Beginnings shelter (pseudonym) in the mid-Southern U.S. Understanding the complexities of the women’s social, emotional, and health-based contexts can enable institutions to examine and shape implicit and explicit assumptions surrounding motherhood. We employed semi-structured interviews with six women and analyzed transcripts using two rounds of thematic coding. Five recurring themes emerged. The findings illustrate the way “appropriate mothering” is situated in specific institutional, political, historical, and economic contexts. We suggest hegemonic assumptions need to be interrogated to better serve families in crisis.