An Analysis of Changing Perceptions and Practices of Motherhood Between Older Generation Motherhood and Younger Generation Motherhood: The Example of The TV Series ‘Kızılcık Şerbeti

Abstract

Motherhood constitutes an identity that is shaped according to the characteristics of the period in which the woman has a child and her own experiential learning. In the historical process, motherhood is being reconstructed and redefined through economic, social, political, cultural and technological changes according to the needs of society. As for the intergenerational change in perceptions and practices related to motherhood, they are being reshaped in line with the position of women in society, the way women are perceived, the way the current period defines the child, the qualities expected from the child, the prevailing view on the upbringing of the child, the current period and society's definitions of fatherhood and the definitions of motherhood perceived as ideal. The aim of this study, which is handled with qualitative research method, is to describe and interpret the information on the transformation of the intergenerational motherhood by addressing the changing definitions of motherhood between two generations of motherhood, sources of information on motherhood and changing practices related to motherhood, and thus to discuss the new understanding of motherhood emerging nowadays. In this study, among the characters of the TV series "Kızılcık Şerbeti", the dialogues and discourses of the mother-in-law 'Pembe' character representing the older generation motherhood and the daughterin- law 'Doğa' character representing the younger generation motherhood, which indicate the perceptions and practices of motherhood, are discussed. In this study, 13 episodes of the series related to the subject were selected with the 'purposive sampling technique' and the episodes were transcribed with the document analysis technique; the data obtained were categorized and analysed in a way based on literature data by using qualitative content analysis and descriptive analysis method by quoting the dialogues in the series. As a result of the study, it was observed that the perception of motherhood, information sources and practices related to motherhood have changed and transformed in the intergenerational motherhood experience with the change in the perception of women and childhood with the effect of social change factors.