by Delia Cruz Kelly
Abstract
The image of the long-suffering mother in Latin America has existed since the colonial period, born of religious roots in the eminence of the Virgin Mary. Mary’s influence is reflected through the formation of mother-centric family structures. To be a mother in Latin America is to commit to a life of self-sacrifice, private domesticity, and largely independent parenting. In the Holy family, God the Father is a disembodied higher power compared to Mother Mary’s earthly presence. In Latin American households, there is often a mirrored experience of this Biblical model: a physically present mother figure (who assumes much of the responsibility for raising children) and an abstract, out-of-the-picture father. Thus, in the hierarchy of societal roles, motherhood is in the forefront of the Latin American imaginary. It is from within this deeply internalized maternalist system that the extreme reverence for all mothers stems.
Understanding the historical shaping of the traditional, revered image of motherhood in Latin America allows for an interesting perspective on what has been deemed a major health issue in the region: drastic rates of teenage pregnancy. Latin America’s levels of adolescent fertility ostensibly pass the world average and are second only to sub-saharan African rates, making them a regional phenomena. Missing from current scholarship is the recognition of another distinctly Latin American phenomenon: internalized cultural reverence of motherhood.
This paper considers the interplay between these two phenomena to present a holistic cultural approach instead of the current standardized approach to understanding regional teen fertility rates.