Between Maternal Guilt and Emotional Labour: The Emotional Burden of Women in Preschool Education

Abstract

This study employs a phenomenological approach to examine how the maternal guilt experienced by working mothers and the emotional labor undertaken by preschool teachers in response to guilt-driven parental expectations are mutually experienced and interpreted within early childhood education settings. While these two phenomena are often handled independently in the literature, this research evaluates them together within the context of school–family interactions to describe the invisible emotional burdens emerging in early childhood education institutions. The study was conducted with a total of 30 participants selected through purposive criterion sampling: 15 working mothers whose children (aged 3–6) attend preschool and 15 female preschool teachers with at least three years of professional experience. Data were collected between December 2025 and January 2026 through recorded, face-to-face interviews using semi-structured forms specifically designed for each group. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Two main themes emerged from the findings: 1. The Internal Experience of Maternal Guilt: Emotional burden, perception of inadequacy, and compensatory efforts. 2. The Externalization of Guilt in School Relations and Teachers' Emotional Labor: The positioning of the teacher as an "assistant/surrogate mother," flexibility, boundary violations manifested through communication, the empathy–rule dilemma, and the accompanying professional fatigue/burnout. In conclusion, this study highlights the necessity of reimagining preschool institutions not merely as pedagogical spaces but as social arenas where intensive emotional interactions are continuously produced.

Keywords

• Motherhood guilt
• emotional labor
• preschool education
• working mothers
• preschool teachers

Annelik Suçluluğu ve Duygusal Emek Arasında: Okul Öncesi Eğitimde Kadınların Duygusal Yükü

Abstract

Bu araştırma, çalışan annelerin deneyimlediği annelik suçluluğu ile okul öncesi öğretmenlerinin bu suçluluk kaynaklı ebeveyn beklentileri karşısında üstlendikleri duygusal emeğin, erken çocukluk eğitim ortamlarında nasıl karşılıklı olarak deneyimlendiğini ve anlamlandırıldığını fenomenolojik bir yaklaşımla incelemektedir. Literatürde çoğunlukla birbirinden bağımsız ele alınan bu iki olgu, bu çalışma kapsamında okul–aile etkileşimleri bağlamında birlikte değerlendirilerek erken çocukluk eğitim kurumlarında ortaya çıkan görünmez duygusal yükler betimlenmiştir. Araştırma, ölçüt örnekleme yoluyla belirlenen toplam 30 katılımcı ile yürütülmüştür: 3–6 yaş çocuğu okul öncesi eğitime devam eden 15 çalışan anne ve en az üç yıl kıdeme sahip 15 kadın okul öncesi öğretmeni. Veriler, iki gruba ayrı ayrı hazırlanmış yarı yapılandırılmış görüşme formlarıyla Aralık 2025–Ocak 2026 döneminde yüz yüze yapılan ve ses kaydı alınan görüşmeler aracılığıyla toplanmıştır. Verilerin analizinde tematik analiz kullanılmıştır. Analizlerde iki ana tema öne çıkmıştır: (1) Annelik suçluluğunun içsel deneyimi (duygusal yük, yetersizlik algısı, telafi çabası) ve (2) suçluluğun okul ilişkilerinde dışsallaşması ve öğretmenlerin duygusal emeği (öğretmenin “yardımcı/anne vekili” olarak konumlandırılması, esneklik, iletişimle belirginleşen sınır ihlalleri, empati–kural ikilemi ve buna eşlik eden mesleki yorgunluk/tükenmişlik). Sonuç olarak çalışma, okul öncesi kurumları yalnızca pedagojik değil, aynı zamanda yoğun duygusal etkileşimlerin üretildiği toplumsal alanlar olarak yeniden düşünmeye işaret etmektedir.

Keywords

• Annelik suçluluğu
• okul öncesi eğitim
• kadınların duygusal yükü.
• duygusal emek
• çalışan anneler
• okul öncesi öğretmenleri

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