Getting to hear the voices of the unwed mothers: their decisions to keep their babies for lone motherhood

Siu-Wai Lit

doi:10.1515/ijamh.2011.024

Article

Getting to hear the voices of the unwed mothers: their decisions to keep their babies for lone motherhood

Siu-Wai Lit

Published/Copyright: May 20, 2011

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International Journal of Adolescent Medicine and Health

From the journal Volume 23 Issue 2

Abstract

Drawing upon interview data from a study investigating the experiences of 20 unwed mothers in Hong Kong, this article explores the narratives of the participants, especially their decisions in keeping their babies and to taking up the responsibilities of lone motherhood. Specific focus is given to the importance of their narratives so that their voices are heard – how they positioned themselves in relation to dominant cultural scripts surrounding lone motherhood. Their voices have relevance for helping professionals working with young people who play a useful role in facilitating and supporting unwed mothers within their locality, as well as for the general public who play an important role in “breaking” the labels and isolations of unwed mothers.

Keywords: narrative analyses; narrative approach; qualitative study; unwed mothers

Corresponding author: Siu-Wai, Lit, PhD, Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, Department of Applied Social Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Room GH339, Core G, Hunghom, Hong Kong, P.R. China

Received: 2010-8-1

Revised: 2010-9-10

Accepted: 2010-9-13

Published Online: 2011-05-20

Published Online: 2011-3-1

Published in Print: 2011-06-01

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Articles in the same Issue

https://doi.org/10.1515/ijamh.2011.024

Keywords for this article

narrative analyses; narrative approach; qualitative study; unwed mothers