Stepmothers’ perceptions and experiences of stepmothers stereotypes

Abstract

Despite the increasing number of stepfamilies, research suggests that negative stepmother stereotypes continue to exist in contemporary society. This qualitative study aimed to explore stepmothers’ perceptions and experiences of stepmother stereotypes, and to investigate the impact, if any, that these negative representations have on women’s experiences of stepmotherhood. One hundred and thirty-eight stepmothers, living in New Zealand with their stepchild (at least some of the time), completed an anonymous online questionnaire about their perceptions and experiences of stepmother stereotypes. The average age of the participants was 36.9 years and the average period of stepmotherhood was 5.5 years. The questionnaire elicited participants' observations of positive and negative stepmother representations in a range of sources. Participants were also asked about their use of the stepmother term, and responded to four open-ended qualitative questions, which related to their experiences of the ‘wicked stepmother’ stereotype and positive aspects of the stepmother role. Participants also rated on a four-point Likert scale the extent to which they thought wicked stepmother stereotypes impacted on their experience as a stepmother. Thematic analysis was conducted on the qualitative data collected, and overall, stepmothers perceived more negative stepmother stereotypes than positive. The majority of stepmothers reported experiences of feeling, or being treated to varying degrees as if they were ‘wicked’, which were brought together in the themes ‘Boundary setting makes me feel bad’, ‘I am unmotherly’, and ‘I don’t count’. Positive experiences of being a stepmother and a repertoire of personal strategies helped to ameliorate the impact of the wicked stepmother stereotypes. Some stepmothers, however, appeared to have internalised the negative representations which led to secondary emotions of guilt, shame, self-doubt, frustration, and a sense of being ‘bad’. Overall, stepmothers rated stepmother stereotypes as having moderate impact on their experience as a stepmother, and the themes were heavily influenced by cultural expectations of motherhood. These findings are discussed in terms of existing knowledge about stepmothers, expectations of mothers, gender issues, and stereotyped identities. This study contributes to the existing body of stepfamily research, and provides discussion on the implications for clinical practice and future research directions.