Mothers, emotion work, and feeling rules: Achieving positive emotions for the sake of the child

Autor(en)

Fabienne Décieux, Eva-Maria Schmidt, Ulrike Zartler

Abstrakt

Objective: This paper examines how mothers deal with their emotions related to their mothering practices in the early phase of motherhood, and analyzes which practices they use to work on their emotions. Background: Emotions and emotion work are regarded as integral and highly gendered parts of family work, which includes mothers as primary caregivers. However, the complex relation between mothers’ emotions and their practices of mothering is yet to be fully understood. This study analyzes this relation by combining a social constructivist approach with a praxeological perspective. Method: The empirical results draw on an in-depth thematic and reconstructive sequential analysis of 23 semi-structured interviews with mothers in Austria whose youngest child was under the age of two. Results: Two bundles of practices of emotion work were identified: first, “changing conditions” (with practices of avoiding or preparing); and, second, “changing emotions” (with practices of suppressing, deep acting, and toning down guilt). Results explicate how mothers’ emotions and practices of emotion work are centered around the fundamental feeling rule of achieving positivity. This fundamental feeling rule includes numerous emotions that mothers work for with the aim of ensuring their child’s happiness and adequate development. Conclusion: Mothers’ practices of emotion work mirror subjectivation and (gendered) responsibilization, and are therefore related to neoliberal ideals. Mothers act as invisible emotion workers to ensure the happiness and development of their child.

Organisation(en)

Projekt: Familienforschung in Österreich, Institut für Soziologie

Externe Organisation(en)

Leopold-Franzens-Universität Innsbruck

Journal

Journal of family research : JFR

Band

38

Seiten

80-98

Anzahl der Seiten

19

ISSN

2699-2337

DOI

https://doi.org/10.20377/jfr-1287

Publikationsdatum

02-2026

Peer-reviewed

Ja

ÖFOS 2012

504011 Familienforschung

Schlagwörter

ASJC Scopus Sachgebiete

Social Sciences (miscellaneous)

Link zum Portal

https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/de/publications/74b25c36-7b06-471b-9f08-c415358fc2aa