Discourses of the Female Body

Many of the women in the study had lived with physical or psychological violence in their daily lives, sometimes under the guise of love. Alcoholism or excessive social drinking on a regular basis by their partners, left them often feeling lonely and desperate or resulted in them being abused. Some of these mothers not only had physical scars to show; but also deep psychological wounds from the trauma they experienced in their lives. One woman revealed being confined unwillingly and having bruises from being physically abused.

These women's bodies were in poor overall physical condition. Their diet was often unhealthy and exercise was limited. Consequently, many of the women were overweight. These women suffered from many chronic illnesses and psychological problems. Their bodies were tired from the stress in their lives. The women suffered from a feeling that they did not have time to do what they needed to do. Moreover, the women did most, if not all, of the childcare and meal preparation, shopping and cleaning around the house, particularly if they were single parents.

Discourse of Maternity

Sometimes the women appeared to accept their circumstances and act as if they were content with their maternal role as being able to bear children and be a good mother to them. For some, that may have meant giving up their freedom and hope for a world of possibilities for themselves when they joined the ranks of single parenthood to leave an abusive domestic situation to make a better life for themselves and their children.