Feminist perspectives on occupational (in)justices of adolescent motherhood

Abstract

Introduction: Motherhood is an important occupational challenge for women, a situation that becomes more complex when they are adolescents. Objective: To analyze the trajectories of adolescent mothers from the perspective of Feminist Occupational Therapy. Method: Qualitative study that, through in-depth interviews and thematic analysis, analyzed six adolescent maternal experiences in Spain. Results: Three central categories of analysis emerged that explain part of the occupational trajectories. We highlight within them, the “Occupational precariousness: a gender-sex vulnerability”, which accounts for the previous conditions that make adolescent pregnancy possible. The category “A family occupation: (inter) dependent motherhood” reflects the family organization of care and upbringing, giving an account of the relevance of the female figures who support this experience. Finally, the category “The occupational shift: its psychosocial repercussions”, considers the impact of motherhood in the projections, both at the educational level and in its labor insertion. Conclusion: The trajectories of adolescent mothers reflect a fluctuation of emotions and complexities in their maternity wards associated with the period of life in which they carry it out. Therefore, the emergence of a Feminist Occupational Therapy aware of gender inequalities allows us to challenge the occupational injustice faced by adolescent mothers for a more just and dignified life.