The Perception of Motherhood and Religiosity among Working Women

Abstract

This research aims to understand the perceptions of motherhood and religiosity among women living in Ankara and working in various sectors. Throughout history, motherhood has been a central concept in women's biological and social identities. However, the content of this concept varies according to individual experiences and societal norms. Religiosity, as a set of beliefs and values shaping individuals' lives, is a significant factor affecting women's perceptions of motherhood and their professional lives. The study aims to explore how women perceive the interactions between motherhood, professional life, and religiosity. A qualitative research method was employed, and interviews were conducted with 30 female participants from different sectors and motherhood statuses. The participants were categorized into three groups: biological mothers, potential mothers (young women who have not yet had children), and childless women. The interviews focused on three main themes: motherhood, women and work life, and the relationship between motherhood and religiosity. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis and content analysis methods. The diversity of the study group allowed for the evaluation of the results from various perspectives. Research findings reveal that women's perceptions of motherhood vary significantly. Some participants identified motherhood with love and compassion, while others defined it through sacrifice and responsibility, and some described it as an indescribable feeling. The study shows that the experience of motherhood deeply influences the perception of this concept. Women who are mothers emphasized sacrifice and responsibility, while potential mothers highlighted love and compassion, and childless women expressed an undefined feeling. The concept of "good motherhood" emerged as a figure who meets both the physical and emotional needs of a child, prioritizes emotional well-being, values education, and supports the child’s individuality. In contrast, "bad motherhood" was associated with neglect and lack of compassion. Participants pointed out that, in society, motherhood is simultaneously elevated as a sacred value and viewed as a restrictive role for women. Women’s views on professional life varied according to their motivations for working. Women who saw work as a means of personal development and self-realization displayed a production-oriented attitude, while working mothers, driven by economic necessity, viewed their jobs as a responsibility to ensure family income. However, both groups experienced challenges in balancing work and motherhood responsibilities. Particularly, women with young children expressed serious difficulties in balancing work and motherhood, emphasizing that guilt was a defining emotion in this process. Some women described work as a process of self-development, while others noted the struggles they faced due to conflicts between motherhood and professional life. Key factors influencing this experience were satisfaction with the working identity, the understanding of motherhood, who takes care of the child in the mother’s absence, and the child's age. The relationship between motherhood and religiosity varied depending on the participants' individual perceptions of religiosity. Half of the participants believed that there was a strong connection between motherhood and religiosity. This connection was usually focused on the religious education of the child, with mothers taking on the responsibility of shaping and transmitting their children's religious knowledge. The religious education of children was directly linked to the mothers' religious practices and beliefs. However, some participants did not see a connection between motherhood and religiosity and considered these two concepts independently. A noteworthy finding of the study is that the relationship between motherhood and religiosity is shaped according to women’s definitions of motherhood. Mothers who focused on meeting their children’s physical and emotional needs viewed religiosity as part of this process, considering religious education as one of the essential elements of motherhood. In contrast, women who defined motherhood as an emotional bond approached religiosity as a more personal domain and were more distant regarding their involvement in their children's religious education. A connection was found between how women perceive motherhood and how they conceptualize religiosity. Based on this, four types of religiosity were identified: child-centered religious, mother-centered religious, inconsistent religious, and indifferent religious.

Keywords

• Psychology of Religion
• Motherhood
• Working Women
• Religiosity

Çalışan Kadınlarda Annelik ve Dindarlık Algısı

Abstract

Araştırma, Ankara’da ikamet eden ve çalışan kadınların annelik ve dindarlık algıları arasındaki bağı anlamayı amaçlamaktadır. Nitel araştırma yöntemi ve fenomenolojik desen olarak tasarlanan çalışmada, 30 kadından yarı yapılandırılmış mülakat tekniğiyle veri toplanmıştır. Katılımcılar, annelik durumları (potansiyel anne, çocuksuz kadın ve biyolojik anne) ve çalışılan sektör (tarım, sanayi, hizmet) gibi çeşitli kriterlere göre kota, ölçüt ve maksimum çeşitlilik örnekleme yöntemi ile seçilmiştir. Görüşmeler üç ana tema etrafında yürütülmüştür: annelik algısı, kadın ve çalışma hayatı ve annelik-dindarlık ilişkisi. Elde edilen veriler, tematik analiz ve içerik analiziyle incelenmiş; katılımcıların anneliği sevgi ve merhamet, fedakârlık ve sorumluluk ile tanımlanamayan duygu kavramlarıyla temellendirdikleri görülmüştür. Katılımcılar iyi anne kavramını; fiziksel ve ruhsal ihtiyaç, salt ruhsal ihtiyaç, eğitim ve çocuğa saygı çerçevesinde nitelendirmişlerdir. Kötü anne ise ilgisiz ve merhametsiz gibi özelliklerle tanımlanmıştır. Toplumun anneye bakışı, değer verici ve kısıtlayıcı olarak değerlendirilmiştir. Katılımcıların çalışma hayatına bakış açısı, üretim ve ekonomik gereksinim nedeniyle çalışmak olarak ayrışmaktadır. Kadınlar, çalışma hayatının zorluklarını özellikle çocuk sahibi olma durumlarına göre farklı biçimlerde deneyimlemiştir. Annelik ve dindarlık temasında anne ve çocuk merkezli ilişkinin varlığı, yokluğu ve belirsizliği açığa çıkmıştır. Sonuç olarak kadınların anneliği algılama biçimleri ile dindarlığı anlamlandırmaları arasında bir bağ ortaya çıkarılmış; bu kapsamda dört tip dindarlık belirlenmiştir: çocuk merkezli dindar, anne merkezli dindar, tutarsız dindar ve ilgisiz dindar.

Keywords

• Din Psikolojisi
• Çalışan Kadın
• Annelik
• Dindarlık

References

1. Arendell, T. (2000). Conceiving and Investigating Motherhood: The Decade’s Scholarship. Journal of Marriage and Family, 62(4), 1192-1207. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-3737.2000.01192.x
2. Argyle, M., & Beit-Hallahmi, B. (1975). The Social Psychology of Religion. Routledge & K. Paul.
3. Badinter, E. (2011). Kadınlık mı? Annelik mi? (A. Ekmekci, Çev.). İletişim Yayınları.
4. Batson, D., Schoenrade, P., & Ventis, L. (2017). Din ve Birey (A. Kuşat & A. Taştan, Çev.). Kimlik Yayınları.
5. Beauvoir, S. de. (2020). İkinci Cinsiyet: C. 2 Cilt (G. Acar Savran, Çev.; 2. Basım). Koç Üniversitesi Yayınları.
6. Birns, B., & Hay, D. (1988). Introduction. Içinde B. Birns & D. Hay (Ed.), The Different Faces of Motherhood. Springer US.
7. Bowlby, J. (1958). The Nature Of The Child’s Tie To His Mother. The International Journal of Psychoanalysis, 39, 350-373.
8. Bowlby, J. (2013). Bağlanma ve Kaybetme 1: Bağlanma (T. V. Soylu, Çev.; 2. Basım). Pinhan Yayıncılık.

9. Brittan, A., & Maynard, M. (1984). Sexism, Racism, and Oppression. Blackwell.
10. Cambridge Dictionary. (t.y.). Motherhood. Geliş tarihi 13 Aralık 2019, gönderen https://dictionary.cambridge.org/tr/s%C3%B6zl%C3%BCk/ingilizce/motherhood
11. Cirhinlioğlu, F. G., & Ok, Ü. (2011). Kadınlar mı Yoksa Erkekler mi Daha Dindar? ZFWT: Zeitschrift für die Welt der Türken, 3(1), 121-141.
12. Dawkins, R. (2009). The Selfish Gene (2. ed., 30th anniversary ed). Oxford Univ. Press.
13. en-Nesâî, E. A. A. b. Ş. b. A. (t.y.). Sünen en-Nesâî 3104. Geliş tarihi 20 Şubat 2025, gönderen https://sunnah.com/nasai:3104
14. Ergin, R. (2022). Çalışan kadınlarda annelik ve dindarlık algısı [Yüksek Lisans Tezi]. Ankara Yıldırım Beyazıt Üniversitesi
15. Francis, L. (1997). The Psychology of Gender Differences in Religion: A Review of Empirical Research. Religion, 27(1), 81-96. https://doi.org/10.1006/reli.1996.0066
16. Francis, L., & Penny, G. (2014). Gender Differences in Religion. İçinde V. Saroglou (Ed.), Religion, Personality, and Social Behavior. Psychology Press, Taylor & Francis Group.
17. Freud, S. (2004). Totem and Taboo (J. Strachey, Çev.). Taylor & Francis. http://www.myilibrary.com?id=3148
18. Freud, S. (2018). Cinsellik Üzerine (S. Budak, Çev.; 5. Basım). Öteki Yayınevi.
19. Garey, A. I. (1999). Weaving Work and Motherhood. Temple University Press.
20. Glenn, E. N. (1994). Social Constructions Of Mothering: A Thematic Overwiev. İçinde E. N. Glenn, G. Chang, & L. R. Forcey (Ed.), Mothering: Ideology, Experience, and Agency. Routledge.
21. Güncel Türkçe Sözlük. (t.y.-a). Anne. Geliş tarihi 13 Aralık 2019, gönderen https://sozluk.gov.tr/
22. Güncel Türkçe Sözlük. (t.y.-b). Annelik. Geliş tarihi 13 Aralık 2019, gönderen https://sozluk.gov.tr/
23. Güncel Türkçe Sözlük. (t.y.-c). Çalışmak. Geliş tarihi 10 Aralık 2021, gönderen https://sozluk.gov.tr/
24. Güncel Türkçe Sözlük. (t.y.-d). Çalışan. https://sozluk.gov.tr/
25. Hays, S. (1996). The Cultural Contradictions of Motherhood. Yale University Press.
26. Klein, M. (2020). Haset ve Şükran (O. Koçak & Y. Erten, Çev.; 6. Basım). Metis Yayınları.
27. Lewis, S. (1994). Motherhood and Employment: The Impact of Social and Organizational Values. İçinde E. N. Glenn, G. Chang, & L. R. Forcey (Ed.), Mothering: Ideology, Experience, and Agency. Routledge.
28. Mahler, M., Pine, F., & Bergman, A. (2020). İnsan Yavrusunun Psikolojik Doğumu (A. N. Babaoğlu, Çev.; 4. Baskı). Metis Yayınları.
29. Maslow, A. H. (1943). A Theory of Human Motivation. Psychological Review, 50(4), 370-396. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0054346
30. Mason, K. O. (1986). The Status of Women: Conceptual and Methodological Issues in Demographic Studies. Sociological Forum, 1(2), 284-300. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01115740
31. Miller, A., & Hoffman, J. (1995). Risk and Religion: An Explanation of Gender Differeneces in Religiosity. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 34(1), 63-75.
32. Mother. (2011). Içinde M. Mayor (Ed.), Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English: DCE New Edition For Advanced Learners (5. ed., 5. printing). Pearson Longman [u.a.].
33. Nesâî, A. b. Ş. (915/2007). Sünenü’n-Nesâî (M. Y. Şahin, Çev.) (Hadis No: 3104, Kitâbü’l-Cihâd, Bâb: Tafdîlu’l-Cihâd illâ Birri’l-Vâlideyn). Dârü’l-Kütübi’l-İlmiyye.
34. Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries. (t.y.). Mother. Geliş tarihi 13 Aralık 2019, gönderen https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/mother_1?q=mother
35. Phoenix, A., & Woollett, A. (1991). Motherhood: Social Construction, Politics and Psychology. İçinde A. Phoenix, A. Woollett, & E. Lloyd (Ed.), Motherhood: Meanings, Practices, and Ideologies. Sage Publications.
36. Pleck, J. H. (1977). The Work-Family Role System. Social Problems, 24(4), 417-427. https://doi.org/10.2307/800135
37. Seçer, Ş. (2010). Çalışan Anneler ve Çalışan Annelere Yönelik Ayrımcılık (1.Baskı). Altın Nokta Yayınevi.
38. Sternglanz, S., & Nash, A. (1988). Ethological Contributions to the Study of Human Motherhood. Içinde B. Birns & D. Hay (Ed.), The Different Faces of Motherhood. Springer US.
39. Sullins, P. (2006). Gender and Religion: Deconstructing Universality, Constructing Complexity. American Journal of Sociology, 112(3), 838-880.
40. Tokur, B. (2020). Klasik ve Güncel Konularıyla Din Psikolojisi. Sonçağ Akademi Yayınları.
41. Trivers, R. (1972). Parental Investment and Sexual Selection. İçinde B. Campbell (Ed.), Sexual Selection and The Descent of Man: 1871-1971 (1nd ed). Aldine Pub. Co.
42. TÜİK, T. İ. K. (2021, Mart 5). İstatiklerle Kadın, 2020. Haber Bülteni. https://data.tuik.gov.tr/Bulten/Index?p=Istatistiklerle-Kadin-2020-37221
43. TÜİK, T. İ. K. (2023, Mart 23). İşgücü İstatistikleri, 2022. Haber Bülteni. https://data.tuik.gov.tr/bulten/index p=isgucu-istatistikleri-2022-49390
44. Willaime, J.-P. (2003). Dinin Tanımlanması Meselesi (H. Keskin & A. Alperen, Çev.). Çukurova Üniversitesi İlahiyat Fakültesi Dergisi, 3(1), 321-334.
45. Yapıcı, A. (2004). Din Bilimleri Alanında Yapılan Empirik Çalışmalarda Karşılaşılan Metodolojik Bir Problem: Ölçek mi Olguyu, Olgu mu Ölçeği Oluşturmakta? Çukurova Üniversitesi İlahiyat Fakültesi Dergisi, 4(1), 85-118.
46. Yapıcı, A. (2012). Türk Toplumunda Cinsiyete Göre Dindarlık Farklılaşması: Bir Meta-Analiz Denemesi. Fırat Üniversitesi İlahiyat Fakültesi Dergisi, 17(2), 1-34.
47. Yavuz, K. (2013). Günümüzde İnancın Psikolojisi. Boğaziçi Yayınları.