Virtual sandbox: digital practices of modern mothers

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Abstract

Modern motherhood is structurally and meaningfully different from the experience of mothers of previous generations. The main driving forces behind the changes include both socio-political factors (transformation of gender roles, strengthening of women’sprofessional positions and understanding of parental care as a special form of social work) and technological solutions (accessible Internet, personal smartphones, social networks and specialized websites and programs). These socio-political factors and technological solutions expand the boundaries of family privacy and allow women to maintain a balance between motherhood and the professional sphere. The purpose of the article is to characterize and analytically comprehend the significance of digital platforms and virtual practices in the lives of modern Russian women with children under the age of three. This age limit is associated, firstly, with the institutional consolidation of the three-year period as a period of priority of maternal functions over labor, and secondly, with the actual full involvement of mothers in the lives of children and maximum concentration on caring for them. Based on the materials of the author’sstudy (analysis of social networks and communities and conducting an online survey and a series of in-depth interviews), the main practices of young Russian mothers, implemented by them in a virtual environment, are considered: communication and integration into maternal communities; search for information, products and services; representation of motherhood; distance employment and economic activity. The article shows that the interpretation of the meaning of digital maternal practices is complicated by the lack of data on the real everyday life of Russian mothers, as well as the lack of a discursive framework and methodology. This problem also concerns determining the potential and risks of digital maternal practices.

About the authors

A. V. Shvetsova

Ural Federal University named after the first President of Russia B. N. Yeltsin

Email: shvetsovaav@mail.ru
Cand. Sc. (Sociology), Senior Researcher Yekaterinburg, Russian Federation

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