“My boy adores me, and I adore him, who is a daughter-in-law…?” Role of mothers-in-law played  in their sons’ families

Why it is necessary for a woman to be equal to a man? It has come from the centuries that a man is standing at the head of the house. I have up brought two boys and I cannot imagine that suddenly the daughter-in-law can come and tell me that the power of this house is hers, etc. No, in our home it cannot take place, –  “said one of the mothers-in-law surveyed by World Vision Armenia within the frame of the research ““Role of mothers-in-law and prenatal sex-selection (sex selective abortion) in Armenia”,  characterizing her attitude towards gender equality.

The aim of the study was not only to understand the possible impact of the mothers-in-law on the choice of child sex but also to identify the cause-and-effect relationships of that role through the collection of biographical narratives. The survey was conducted in 7 administrative districts of Yerevan –  Ajapnyak, Avan, Erebuni, Kentron, Nor Nork, Shengavit, Kanaker-Zeytun. The sample of the study was based on the standard of education, secondary, vocational and higher. In addition, the sample included only women/ mothers-in-law/ having grandchildren – only girls, only boys, as well as both boys and girls. In total, 30 interviews were conducted.

The overwhelming majority of the respondents think that they are much better mothers-in-law and they treat their daughters-in-law much better than their mother-in-law used to do. The majority of them also noted that the current generation has changed and they cannot imagine that they can do the same with their daughters-in-law what their mothers-in-law used to do towards them. On the other hand, today’s daughters-in-law can afford things that they could not do at their times.

Full text in Armenian

You can find “Role of mothers-in-law and prenatal sex-selection (sex selective abortion) in Armenia” qualitative research here .