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Vietnamese Mumpreneurs? Middle-class Mothers Negotiating Motherhood and Work in Northern Vietnam

Nguyen, Thanh-Huong (2017) ACET35
Centre for East and South-East Asian Studies, Lund University
Abstract
This thesis explores the construction of motherhood in Northern Vietnam and how motherhood influences engagement with digital entrepreneurship. The study relies on 10 in-depth interviews with middle-class mothers of young children in urban areas in Northern Vietnam, who are currently running online businesses through Facebook. Existing literature on motherhood in Vietnam has placed motherhood within the context of the family without references to class differences. Drawing on Bourdieu’s class analysis, intensive mothering ideology and the concept of mumpreneur, this study finds that motherhood in Northern Vietnam is constructed as the primary duty of women and as a result, women are expected to mother intensively and perform more than... (More)
This thesis explores the construction of motherhood in Northern Vietnam and how motherhood influences engagement with digital entrepreneurship. The study relies on 10 in-depth interviews with middle-class mothers of young children in urban areas in Northern Vietnam, who are currently running online businesses through Facebook. Existing literature on motherhood in Vietnam has placed motherhood within the context of the family without references to class differences. Drawing on Bourdieu’s class analysis, intensive mothering ideology and the concept of mumpreneur, this study finds that motherhood in Northern Vietnam is constructed as the primary duty of women and as a result, women are expected to mother intensively and perform more than their husbands within the domestic sphere. Being middle-class influences one’s mothering beliefs and practices in important ways, including through providing women the possibility to negotiate their gender roles and work by delegating care work to qualified external institutions. Engaging in digital entrepreneurship for the mothers in the study is a way of doing meaningful work which provides extra income, enriches one’s social circle and helps validate one’s capabilities to family members. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Nguyen, Thanh-Huong
supervisor
organization
course
ACET35
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
middle-class, gender roles, motherhood, Northern Vietnam, entrepreneurship, mumpreneur
language
English
id
8924604
date added to LUP
2017-09-04 13:00:25
date last changed
2017-09-04 13:00:25
@misc{8924604,
  abstract     = {{This thesis explores the construction of motherhood in Northern Vietnam and how motherhood influences engagement with digital entrepreneurship. The study relies on 10 in-depth interviews with middle-class mothers of young children in urban areas in Northern Vietnam, who are currently running online businesses through Facebook. Existing literature on motherhood in Vietnam has placed motherhood within the context of the family without references to class differences. Drawing on Bourdieu’s class analysis, intensive mothering ideology and the concept of mumpreneur, this study finds that motherhood in Northern Vietnam is constructed as the primary duty of women and as a result, women are expected to mother intensively and perform more than their husbands within the domestic sphere. Being middle-class influences one’s mothering beliefs and practices in important ways, including through providing women the possibility to negotiate their gender roles and work by delegating care work to qualified external institutions. Engaging in digital entrepreneurship for the mothers in the study is a way of doing meaningful work which provides extra income, enriches one’s social circle and helps validate one’s capabilities to family members.}},
  author       = {{Nguyen, Thanh-Huong}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Vietnamese Mumpreneurs? Middle-class Mothers Negotiating Motherhood and Work in Northern Vietnam}},
  year         = {{2017}},
}