A1 Alkuperäisartikkeli tieteellisessä aikakauslehdessä
Feeling Poor and Lonely : The Felt Experiences of Low-Income Working Lone Mothers in Finland (2024)

Säilävaara, J., Ikonen, H.-M., & Jakonen, M. (2024). Feeling Poor and Lonely : The Felt Experiences of Low-Income Working Lone Mothers in Finland. Affilia, 39(3), 517-533. https://doi.org/10.1177/08861099231223495

JYU-tekijät tai -toimittajat

Säilävaara, Jenny
Ikonen, Hanna-Mari

Julkaisun tiedot

Julkaisun kaikki tekijät tai toimittajat: Säilävaara, Jenny; Ikonen, Hanna-Mari; Jakonen, Mikko

Lehti tai sarja: Affilia

ISSN: 0886-1099

eISSN: 1552-3020

Julkaisuvuosi: 2024

Ilmestymispäivä: 28.12.2023

Volyymi: 39

Lehden numero: 3

Artikkelin sivunumerot: 517-533

Kustantaja: SAGE Publications

Julkaisumaa: Yhdysvallat (USA)

Julkaisun kieli: englanti

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/08861099231223495

Julkaisun avoin saatavuus: Avoimesti saatavilla

Julkaisukanavan avoin saatavuus: Osittain avoin julkaisukanava

Julkaisu on rinnakkaistallennettu (JYX): https://jyx.jyu.fi/handle/123456789/92706

Tiivistelmä

This article analyzes the current feelings of Finnish low-income working lone mothers and their views on what it means to be poor in the welfare state of Finland. This is done by analyzing written accounts of lone mothers through a qualitative content analysis. The data was collected in 2015 and 2021. The analysis reveals that mothers’ feelings of poverty have similarities to those described in data collected in a different context over 20 years ago. The article is inspired by an article published in Affilia in the year 2003 by Lynn McIntyre, Suzanne Officer, and Lynne M. Robinson. In their paper, McIntyre et al. analyzed the feelings of poor Canadian lone mothers. While the welfare regime and services influence how life is organized, it is evident that self-sacrifice for the children caused by poverty is very much a part of the written accounts of Finnish mothers. We show that while there are a few cultural differences in the feelings that lone mothers undergo on account of their low-income status, feelings such as loneliness are persistent and often shared regardless of time or geographical location. Therefore, we suggest that low-income mothers should be given greater support by society and governments to be able to feel hopeful and empowered rather than poor and alone.

YSO-asiasanat: köyhyys; yksinäisyys; kokemukset; tunteet; äidit; yksinhuoltajat; yksinhuoltajaperheet