Maternal caregiving burdens and child well-being in an urban informal settlement: an intersectional study of marginalized caste mothers in Chennai, India

Background: Parenting in marginalized urban communities is shaped by intersecting structural inequalities. Limited research examines how caste-based marginalization, gender norms, and poverty collectively influence maternal caregiving practices and child developmental outcomes in urban informal settlement in India. This study investigates the parenting challenges faced by Adi- Dravidar (Scheduled Caste) mothers in Puliyanthope, Chennai, and their implications for child well-being. Methods: A qualitative study was conducted using semi-structured in-depth interviews with 20 Adi- Dravidar (Scheduled Caste) mothers with children aged 6-11 (Middle Childhood) years residing in Puliyanthope urban informal settlement in Chennai, India. Field observations complemented interview data. Thematic analysis was employed using an intersectional framework to analyzed maternal experiences, coping strategies, and structural constraints affecting parenting practices. Findings: Findings revealed that all 20 mothers solely bore childcare responsibilities while simultaneously engaging in informal labour, earning ₹8,000-12,000 monthly. Nineteen mothers had minimal formal education below 10th grade. Fathers' involvement in parenting was largely absent, and 90% of households lacked extended family support, leaving mothers isolated in their caregiving roles. Mothers consistently reported chronic time poverty, physical exhaustion, and financial insecurity arising from managing dual responsibilities of paid work and childcare. Limited financial autonomy, unsafe housing conditions, and inability to support children's educational needs further compounded their caregiving burden. Physical punishment was normalized across all families as a perceived protective response to unsafe neighbourhood conditions. Notably, one mother with higher educational attainment demonstrated significantly better capacity to support her children's holistic development, highlighting the protective role of maternal education. Conclusion: Maternal caregiving in marginalized urban informal settlement contexts is profoundly constrained by intersecting structural inequalities rooted in caste, gender, and poverty. These constraints not only impose severe physical, emotional, and economic burden on mothers themselves but also directly impact child developmental outcomes, educational attainment, and overall well-being. Findings underscore the urgent need for multi-level interventions, including community-based childcare services, economic empowerment and mental health support programs for mothers, promotion of shared parenting responsibilities, and gender-sensitive policies that address both maternal caregiving burden and the intergenerational transmission of disadvantage in urban informal settlements in India contexts.