Green Mother’s Dilemmas: First-Time Moms’ view of Transformation of their Environmentally Conscious Consumption
Online First
The process of becoming a mother is substantially linked to consumption. It can facilitate this process, but it can also put new mothers through anxiety, stress and fear of failure. Environmentally conscious women face an even greater challenge as they have to combine their pro-environmental values with the specific social norms. We conducted in-depth interviews with six such women – we called them Green Mothers. Rather than focusing on changes in their behaviour, we became interested in dilemmas they have been dealing with. We concluded that consumption plays a somewhat secondary role in accepting their maternal role – Green Mothers keep their reticent attitude. However, they have become less radical and have accepted consumer compromises. Lifestyle dilemmas are most apparent in relation to identity. Green Mothers turn from their intellectual approach to physicality, health concerns and needs of their children. Their interest in global problems declined as they had shifted their focus to more local and imminent issues. Adopting pro-environmental practices is primarily influenced neither by lack of finances, nor by social pressure, but by time. Therefore, our research contributes to the discussion on the high demands of environmentally-friendly lifestyles.
motherhood, green motherhood, environmental lifestyles, environmental dilemma, transitive consumption, significant life event, legacy hypothesis
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