’In the Grip of Traditionalism? How Nigerian Middle-Class Working Mothers Navigate Normative Ideals of Femininity

Article


Adekoya, O. D., Adamson, M., Mordi, C., Ajonbadi, H. and Adisa, T. A. 2024. ’In the Grip of Traditionalism? How Nigerian Middle-Class Working Mothers Navigate Normative Ideals of Femininity. Gender & Society. In Press.
AuthorsAdekoya, O. D., Adamson, M., Mordi, C., Ajonbadi, H. and Adisa, T. A.
Abstract

Changing socio-economic conditions are enticing more and more Nigerian mothers to work and pursue careers. This article explores how middle-class professional women navigate working mother subjectivities in the context of Nigeria’s strong patriarchal culture, where traditional notions of maternal femininity prevail. We argue that the working mother subjectivity is a key site where the struggle over gendered cultural meanings takes place. Drawing on 32 qualitative interviews, we demonstrate how a small group of women refused traditional feminine subject positions; however, most either embraced or reluctantly acquiesced to them, despite having access to broader cultural repertoires and material resources. By unveiling the complexities of the cultural appeal of traditional femininity and social penalties for breaching it, the article extends our understanding of how patriarchal cultures resist gendered change and the nuances and limits of individual patterns of resistance.

JournalGender & Society
Journal citationIn Press
ISSN0891-2432
1552-3977
Year2024
PublisherSAGE Publications
Accepted author manuscript
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Anyone
Publication process dates
Accepted12 Aug 2024
Deposited13 Aug 2024
Copyright holder© 2024, The Author(s)
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This article version is the author's accepted manuscript, which will be published by SAGE Publications in Gender & Society.

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