The Stigma of Stepmotherhood and the Gap Between Potential and Actual Identity:

Mohammadi, Donya; Ghaderzadeh, Omid

doi:10.30465/ws.2025.50301.4250

The Stigma of Stepmotherhood and the Gap Between Potential and Actual Identity:"Phenomenology of the Lived Experience of Stepmothers in the City of Sanandaj"

Document Type : -

Authors

Donya Mohammadi ¹

Omid Ghaderzadeh ²

¹ University of Kurdistan, Sanandaj, Sociology

² Department of Sociology, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Kurdistan, Sanandaj, Iran

10.30465/ws.2025.50301.4250

Abstract

Women who carry the stigma of being a stepmother not only experience suffering and invisibility in their daily lives but are also continuously judged from an external perspective. In the present study, using a phenomenological approach and based on the lived experiences of a sample of stepmothers in Sanandaj, an attempt was made to identify perceptions, coping strategies, and the individual and collective consequences of becoming a stepmother.
To this end, in-depth interviews were conducted with a sample of 14 stepmothers. The findings were categorized into three main themes, ultimately converging on the core concept of "the stigma of stepmotherhood and the gap between potential and actual identity." This concept highlights the disconnection experienced by the studied women from an expected reality—one that their role as stepmothers has prevented them from fully realizing. Consequently, their actual identity has been transformed into a fabricated and imposed construct.
The interviewed stepmothers perceived themselves as victims of pre-existing social stigmas, which have led to numerous hardships and exclusion from opportunities for social participation. This situation persists despite their efforts to fulfill their potential by creating an integrated family where the dignity of all members is properly recognized.

Keywords

Identity conflict

Stepchild

Stepmother

Social exclusion

Stigma

Subjects