A mother’s voice and a child’s view: revisiting the constructed role of women in rural Chile

Abstract

As gender constructs, the roles of mothers are shaped by family dynamics, social relations and cultural codes that influence the spaces in which these roles are performed. The pandemic can be seen as an element that altered these constructs to varying degrees, providing an opportunity to revisit them, particularly in groups in which the patriarchy is dominant. Thus, this article focuses on rural mothers from central Chile with elementary school-age children. Specifically, we analyze how prolonged school closures have impacted household dynamics and how rural women became responsible for their children’s education. Using a qualitative approach, dyads that account of 24 testimonies of mothers and children from three different schools were interviewed after one year of school closure. Accounts of the children’s head teachers were also included. Their testimonies shed light on how school, experience and actions intertwine, contributing to our understanding of the dynamic construct of motherhood and how it is being deployed during the current public health crisis. The main results indicate that the pandemic has reinforced these mother’s role as the sole caretaker of her children. Despite their lack of education, knowledge and skills, female participants expressed that they have undertaken a new burden by adopting the role of vicarious teacher. Their children and their children’s head teachers share this view, confirming traditional and patriarchal expectations of rural women as caregivers.

Keywords:

• COVID-19
• education
• gender
• mother
• rural

Acknowledgements

The authors thank the reviewers for their insightful comments and suggestions and Alejandra Jans for her remarks in the earliest drafts.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Additional information

Funding

This work was funded by The National Fund for Scientific and Technological Development (FONDECYT) 11200039 and the ANID – Millennium Science Initiative Program NCS2021_081.

Notes on contributors

Isabel Pavez

Isabel Pavez is an Associate Professor at the School of Communication at Universidad de Los Andes in Chile and principal researcher at the Millennium Nucleus to Improve the Mental Health of Adolescents and Youths, Imhay. She is a Ph.D. in Media and Communications from the London School of Economics and Political Science and an MSc in Anthropology from Universidad de Chile. She has participated in numerous research projects regarding digital inclusion in vulnerable populations.

Catalina Farías

Catalina Farías is a doctoral student in the Media, Technology and Society program at Northwestern University. She studies digital inclusion in vulnerable populations, digital media access and use, and gender. She has been research assistant of several national-funded projects in areas related to gender and technology.