Resilience of the Childhood Origins of Dutch Mothers’ Gender Role Attitudes

Abstract

Based on qualitative analysis of 39 in depth interviews with Dutch mothers, this paper firstly explores if differences in primary socialization are relevant to an understanding of Dutch mothers’ current diverse (personal) gender role attitudes. Secondly, it addresses the interplay of a mother’s own gender role attitude and those of her partner and peers. The findings reveal that Dutch mothers’ current diverse gender role attitudes have origins in the transmission of different mental and verbal parental, especially maternal, symbols. Egalitarian mothers often recall a strong mother-figure, the verbal persuasion of economic independence and/or particular non-traditional upbringing matters that appealed to their logic of being financially independent. The memories of traditional/adaptive mothers rather stand out for the resignation of unpaid tasks by their own mothers, and the absence of parental encouragement to consider their professional life. The findings further indicate that in childhood originated aspects of mother’s personal gender role attitude continue to shape the character of mother’s behavior and new social relationships.