The “Deviant Good Mother”

Abstract

When drug-using and lawbreaking women are mothers, their competence as mothers is often questioned because good mothers are not supposed to do such things. Consequently, they are often labeled as unfit mothers. This qualitative study seeks to examine the experience of motherhood in substance-using and lawbreaking mothers. Interviews with 38 substance-using women who had broken the law were conducted. Women in our study embrace two models of motherhood: one is an idealized view of motherhood as worthwhile, gratifying, and true to social expectations, and the other a model of the “deviant good mother,” which conforms more closely to their deviant lifestyle. Both of these models influence the way that these mothers perceive their substance use, their criminal behavior, and the possibility of being a good mother. The “deviant good mother” model also allowed them to build (or rebuild) a positive and fulfilling maternal identity.