Motherhood and Mothering: The Experience of Israeli Non-Biological Mothers in Blended Families Formed After Loss of the Biological Mother

This study draws on the conceptual distinction between “mothering” and “motherhood” as a framework to explore the experiences of Israeli women who have partnered with widowers, raising young children as non-biological mothers. Qualitative analysis of 30 in-depth semi-structured interviews revealed that although the majority of participants performed the traditional roles dictated by the institution of motherhood, most did not define themselves as the mothers of their partner's children, reserving the title “mother” for the deceased biological mother. Regardless of how they defined their maternal status, most participants expressed deep maternal love for their partner's children. Some described having different emotional experiences with their biological versus non-biological children, which they attributed to the former being “part of them” and the bond formed from birth. Other participants reported similar emotional experiences with both biological and non-biological children. Notably, our findings indicate that the cultural climate, where the biological mother is regarded as the “real” mother, contributes to shaping the participants’ motherhood experience. This study expands the distinction between the concepts of motherhood and mothering to the context of non-biological mothers, highlighting the complexities inherent in mothering children whose biological mother has died.