Mothers and daughters : relationships and influences

Abstract

This dissertation aims at analysing the relationships between mothers and daughters. Interviews and conversations with eight mothers and daughters, give us rich data on how mothers and adolescent daughters view this relationship. The dissertation shows that mothers influence their daughters' perceptions of themselves as women and their ideas about the mother and mothering in general. Mothering is an important process in teaching values and principles. The ideas about mothering which the majority of the mothers impart are based on the Catholic religious values. In general the daughters, like their mothers believe that mothering requires a lot of dedication and self sacrifice but they do not see this as hindering them from pursuing their own career and/or personal interests. Values related to religion, education, friendship and family are common to both, but the degree of importance each mother and daughter gave was different. The daughters reckoned that due to the contrasting views they were better understood by their friends rather than their mothers. The way the daughters spoke about their mothers in the interviews contrasted deeply with the way the mothers spoke of their daughters. The daughters tended to outline more the negative side of their relationship with their mother; rather than focusing on the positive aspects. However all mothers and daughters have their own ways of dealing with conflict and re-establishing grounds for the development of their relationships.