Continuity and change in motherhood narratives across generations: The case of Ankara

The aim of our oral history study on "Continuity and Change in Intergenerational Motherhood Narratives: The Case of Ankara"; is to shed light on the historical process of motherhood by emphasizing the similarities and differences in intergenerational motherhood experiences. In the first part of the study, the experiences of mothers from three different generations regarding pregnancy, childbirth, puerperium and breastfeeding processes were discussed, and the mothers' access to health services during these processes, breastfeeding practices and the difficulties they experienced during the puerperium were shed light on. In the following, what meanings mothers attribute to motherhood, ideal motherhood perceptions, the privileges that motherhood provides to women and the aspects that motherhood restricts women are discussed. Finally, on the axis of generations, subjects such as mothers' child-rearing experiences, mothers' sources of learning about motherhood, parent roles in child care and upbringing, gender difference in child-rearing, mothers' regrets are discussed. The study, which is presented with the narratives of 27 different mothers from three different generations, each being a relative of the other, focuses on women's motherhood experiences in order to investigate all these issues. The main purpose of this study is to examine the continuities and differences with regard to motherhood practices across three generations through the feminist methodology. The most important purpose of the research is to map out evolution of motherhood between the years 1960 and 2000 by using oral history as a main methodology. In this context, the most important questions of the research are in what ways the motherhood experience remains the same, in what ways it transforms and in what angles it has been completely broken. Oral history interviews were carried out with twenty- seven (27) mothers from three different generations of the same family, whose birth dates roughly correspond to the years between 1940-1950, 1960-1970 and 1980-1990. With this oral history research carried out on three different generations, the reasons for the change and transformation in the experience of motherhood between the 1960s and 2000s were also examined. The cultural values and system, which change according to the historical periods in the society, surround and constantly renew the discourses of motherhood and womanhood through various power mechanisms. By moving away from the classical family structure, there has been a break with tradition. With the phenomenon of globalization, it has been observed that mothers do not content themselves with raising children by fully benefiting from cultural values, customs and traditions, but enter the process of alternative motherhood experiences. It is obvious that these motherhood practices of women will be in a state of change and transformation and will also affect future generations.