The role of informal support in childcare for divorced mothers in Azerbaijan

• Autor(a) principal: Gurbanaliyeva, Ayshan
• Data de Publicação: 2023
• Tipo de documento: Dissertação
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
• Texto Completo: http://hdl.handle.net/10071/28796
• topic: Informal support; Divorced mothers; Childcare; Resiliência -- Resilience; Capital social -- Share capital; Capital cultural -- Cultural capital; Serviço social -- Social work; Apoio informal; Mães divorciadas; Cuidados infantis

The aim of this study was to explore the challenges that divorced mothers in Azerbaijan, experience in childcare and the emergence of informal support as a coping mechanism. This thesis tried to compare the experiences and perceptions of divorced mothers with informal support and the factors that affect the quality and quantity of this assistance. The qualitative research was designed and semi-structured in–depth interviews were conducted with seven divorced mothers, who raise children of five to fifteen years old. The interview data was analyzed using the Thematic Analysis method. The results were analyzed referring to the Theories of Resilience and The Forms of Capital. The study revealed that the main challenges of divorced mothers are safety concerns, financial shortage, unawareness about state support programs, emotional exhaustion, and work-parenting balance. To cope with these concerns, they use informal help in the form of material and emotional support, and parenting and assistance with the education of children. It has been observed that living with extended family members creates access to a broader network of people, and reliable, systematic, and available at any-time, support in childcare. Furthermore, the study revealed that mothers' educational background and professional status influence the quality and quantity of informal support.