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CONFERENCE PROGRAM AND ICGCS 2021

ABSTRACT BOOK

Gender and Family

Construction of Mothers in Prison

Vivi Patra Komala, Vina Adriany, Hani Yulindrasari

Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia

This study aims to explore the construction of motherhood and mothers who are prisoners in prisons.
Inmate mothers face challenges of being a mother in prison, such as the limitations in fulfilling mother

roles in raising children, unclear absence, and compromised parenting identity. The topic of this research
was selected because despite the large number of women who become prisoners, however, studies that

focus on how these female prisoners negotiate their maternal identity are very limited. Research on
inmate mothers has been mostly conducted in Western countries (Carlo & Mullins, 2008; Casey-Acevedo

et al., 2004; Cheney, 2010; Gaudin, 1984; Green et al., 2005; Hairston, 1991; Young & Smith, 2000).
Points from previous research have yielded knowledge about what impacts occur from the detention of a
mother, such as the effects of imprisonment for mothers and children but still lacks attention to how an

inmate mother constructs the identity of a mother in child care. This article uses post-structuralist feminist
theory, and it is hoped that the problem will be more open by understanding this theory. This article

integrates with post-structuralist feminist theory, so in understanding social relations with power, it can
produce new knowledge so that changes are born. The method in this study uses a case study approach,

with the subject of two inmate mothers who are in class 2A Bandung Women's Prison. The research
subjects were mothers who were separated from their children and mothers who brought their children

to prison. Data collection was done through interviews. The results of the analysis show that there are two
major themes related to the construction of motherhood, the first is the emergence of the collective
mother construction and the second is the ideal mother construction. The concept of collective mother is

a mother's role that is delegated to other family members, which means that the task of a mother is not
individual based. The concept of the ideal mother is the fulfillment of all or most of the mother's role in

normal care provided while in prison. Likewise, mothers who are in prisons try to fulfill their rights and
obligations as a mother. The situations and conditions experienced by inmate mothers forces them to

survive no matter what the circumstances are. Meaning that the parent is always there for the child and
fulfills all the needs and requests of the child, both materially and immaterially, even in a makeshift

situation and condition. Parenting provided by a mother is a form of responsibility and love, and no
condition will prevent a mother from providing care for her child. The care provided is expected to be
able to stem the impact of detention and separation between mother and child by maintaining close

communication, strict mentoring and introducing religious norms and knowledge as early as possible.

Both subjects did not tell their children the truth about the situation, due to many considerations and
concerns. This condition forces mothers who are prisoners to be able to provide different understanding
for their children’s sake. But these mothers are trying to figure out how to care for and maintain the

relationship from within prison for their children’s future. The forms of care provided or created by these
inmate mothers varied. This diversity resulted in the creation of character as a reference for all parties in

the evaluation and improvement process. This will make it easier to plan the provisions of coaching
policies.

Keywords: Keywords: Mothers in Prison, Construction of mothers, feminist post

structuralis

Short Biography:

Vivi Patra Komala is a Postgraduate Student at Department of Early Childhood

Education Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia

Vina Adriany, M.Ed.,Ph.D. is an Associate Professor at Department of Early

Childhood Education Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia

Hani Yulindrasari, S.Psi., M. Gendst., Ph.D is a Lecturer at Department of Early

Childhood Education Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia

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