There is a broad recognition that mamas are an important part of our society. We also often hear mamas say that motherhood is rewarding, yet challenging. If we recognize the importance of mothering, we must understand the challenges mamas face and develop strategies to address them. We must also acknowledge that mamas of color are disproportionately impacted by challenges due to systemic issues like sexism and racism, which can negatively impact their health and overall well-being, and that of their children.
Our intent is to make life less challenging for mamas, and a first step is always to ask them to share their knowledge and experience. In this report we present the findings from a landscape analysis of Michigan mamas conducted by Mothering Justice and Brenda P Lee & Associates.This project surveyedMichigan mamas about their perspectives on multiple issues. We found that while mamas have positive feelings about motherhood, they experience the challenges of financial instability, childcare cost and accessibility, and limited support. Those challenges were found to impact Black and Latina mamas in distinct ways. Below we outline some significant findings from our survey.
Key Takeaways:
Emotional Well-Being - Black and Latina mamas in Michigan find joy in the mothering experience, but express having felt stressed in the days leading up to the survey.
● About 62% of Black mamas felt that parenting had a positive or very positive impact on their mental health in the last 30 days.
● Over 50% of Black mamas, and 49% of Latina mamas said they had experienced feeling tense, nervous, anxious or unable to sleep over the 7 days prior to taking the survey.
Financial Instability - Black and Latina women’s mothering experience is significantly impacted by their worries regarding their financial stability.
● Black (79%) and Latina (80%) mamas were more likely to identify “cost of living”, “wages”,
“transportation related costs”, and “employment opportunities” as having an impact on their well-being and that of their children.
● Latina mamas were significantly more impacted by the stress related to managing finances than other mamas.
● Healthcare caused the greatest financial strain for all MI mamas.
● Latina mamas felt significantly more financially strained by food costs than other mamas.
Childcare - Through open-ended responses, Black and Latina mamas expressed wanting more assistance with childcare costs and accessing childcare. However they also were found more likely to use programs and find them favorable when able to access them. Therefore it seems it is not necessarily the quality of childcare in Michigan, so much as being able to afford and access these services.
● When asked open ended questions about support needs, multiple mamas mentioned childcare:
○ “More assistance with affordable childcare for middle class families.” (Black mama)
○ “Since I often have issues with having a sitter for my son while I work, it would be
amazing if there were more safe, effective after-school programs.” (Black mama)
○ “Reduce childcare and reduce preschool.” (Latina mama)
● Less than 50% of mamas have access to several options of child care that were explored. Black and Latina mamas were more likely to have access to the programs that were surveyed.
● Black and Latina mamas rated Home visiting and Great Start Collaborative/Parent Coalitions significantly more effective than other mamas.
● Latina (80%) mamas found Great Start Quality Resource Centers significantly more effective in supporting parenting than other mamas.
● Mamas with household incomes $60K & higher were significantly more likely to report having more access to each of the child care options explored.
Necessary Supports - Only 53% of mamas felt they received the support they needed when feeling stressed or overwhelmed.Stabilizing Michigan mamas financially was identified as the best support for mamas. They also expressed wanting opportunities for connection with other parents and additional education to support their mothering experiences.
● Income related support such as increased minimum wage ( 17%) and more affordable housing options in safe areas (16%) were selected as the most beneficial for Michigan mamas.These options were particularly selected as helpful by mamas with household incomes under $60K.
● Black mamas (30%) and Latina mamas (32%) were more intense than other mamas in their belief that their parenting would benefit from additional resources and support.
● Open-ended responses revealed that help with household expenses, job training, public
transportation and nutritional guidance were support efforts mamas wanted. There were also
requests for educational support for their children – a few who had special educational needs, parent education and networking, mental health support for their children and affordable & accessible child care.
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