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Motherhood: new possibilities, old visions

This article presents a pilot study developed so as to better understand how women perceive motherhood, as well as the option to postpone it and/or not to have children. We interviewed four middle class women, aged 37 to 50, engaged in a professional career. Two of them chose not to have children and the other two postponed it to the late thirties. Our results indicate that, despite the fact that new possibilities were opened to women nowadays, old visions, such as the one that considers motherhood essential for the fully accomplishment of a woman, still prevail in social discourse.

motherhood; visions; possibilities


Departamento de Psicologia da Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro Rua Marquês de São Vicente, 225 - Gávea, 22453-900 - Rio de Janeiro - RJ, Tel.: (55 21) 3527-1185 / 3527-1186, Fax: (55 21) 3527-1187 - Rio de Janeiro - RJ - Brazil
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