The purposes of this study are to understand the perception that the mothers from a low income community in São Paulo city have about the meaning of their role in the family structure, concerning children care and the strategies used in family organization to carry out this care. The ethnographic analysis allowed us to identify 6 cultural domains and results showed that the mother have a main role in the family. They are the great responsible for the education, raising and socialization of the children. The adaptation of their role is characterized by their attention regarding to children needs. However, when they face children's growth, they show insecurity.
family organization; mother's role in the family; low income families; ethnographic method
