Motherhood and Work: A Qualitative Study on the Mental Health of Mexican Mothers

Abstract

This research evidences the experiences of stress and anxiety in Mexican mothers facing the "double burden," analyzing the triggers of psychological distress sustained by social structures and expectations. The objective was to describe the experiences of a sample of women with high emotional vulnerability through an interpretive qualitative methodology, using in-depth interviews with six informants from Guanajuato. The relevance of this approach allowed for the identification of prominent findings such as maternal guilt linked to the "supermom" concept, where the pursuit of professional goals is perceived as a neglect of caregiving duties. The discussion analyzes the effects of COVID-19 confinement and hybrid work as factors of overload and the blurring of boundaries between the productive and private spheres, as well as the emergence of "matrescence" and "maternal grief" due to the loss of identity and autonomy. The results corroborate the psychological attrition derived from "double presence" and chronic exhaustion in the face of a lack of co-responsibility. The study concludes with the need for clinical interventions with a gender perspective and organizational policies that promote effective co-responsibility, providing a theoretical update on the emotional cost of caregiving in post-pandemic Mexico.