With the increasing female employment and changing demographical structure, parents are looking for alternative childcare options. Thus the service of daycare centers is getting popular in urban settings of Bangladesh. A study by Tabassum (2017) attempts to find out the social perception of daycare centers by giving special attention to the experiences of working parents who are using this service and conducting a comparative analysis of the perception of fathers and mothers. Qualitative approach and in-depth interviews have been chosen to conduct the study in Dhaka city.
It is revealed that people perceive daycare center as a big challenge to the traditional and cultural understanding of mothering. Men who are using the service of daycare center i.e. fathers consider daycare center a boon for female employment by calculating all the pros and cons of it. But women who are using this service i.e. mothers are still being negatively perceived for using daycare center because of the social construction of motherhood. It is revealed that working mothers are still being stigmatized for not giving intensive or direct care to their children. As a result, it is increasing stress and dilemma in them. A small section of the study has also been looked at the officials who are providing the service of daycare and future generations who are the potential user of daycare service to indicate the future of this sector. More studies can be done in this area to enlighten about the status of daycare service and the changing nature of the construction of motherhood.
Contact Details
Name: Nawshin TabassumEmail: natosee@gmail.com