Experiences of motherhood: a cross-cultural study

Since the mother plays a vital role in the development of her offspring and in the well-being of the family a study was made of the experiences of motherhood amongst two groups of mothers. The groups comprised a group of Tswana speaking and a group of Afrikaans speaking mothers from the Pretoria area. Eighty six mothers between the ages of 18 and 30 years, all of whom had had nine to twelve years of schooling, were interviewed. the mothers from the two groups were matched for age, occupation and years of schooling. The adjustments which they made to their lifestyles during the first year of life of their first babies were investigated. The results obtained were subjected to a content analysis. The results show, amongst other things that problems were experienced in respect of the involvement of the father and that there were differences in adjustment in extended and nuclear families. Recommendations are made with a view to assisting mothers during the critical period.