Reconfiguration of the Mother’s Role After the Departure of the Children

This chapter describes the recomposition of the maternal role in the process of transition to the empty nest stage among Polish and French mothers married for at least 20 years. Our question in this chapter is how the departure of the children implies modifications within the role of the mother. By giving examples, we show that this process continues all the time because the practices that sustain the role are changing constantly. When an external factor occurs, such as adult children moving out of the family home, the reconfiguration process becomes more intense. We wanted to investigate whether women deviate from their traditional roles as they once embraced them, or if the parental role is one of those social roles that cannot be eliminated. In our study, we examined two aspects of the mother’s role (material and relational) and the influence of different stages of adult children leaving the home. For this chapter, we analysed a total of 43 in-depth dyadic interviews (DDI). Additionally, we also examined 41 individual in-depth interviews with women whose partners chose not to participate in the main study (specifically in Poland). Contrary to the notion that the maternal role diminishes after children leave, our research revealed that the maternal role persists and adapts to the new family circumstances and dynamics, often manifesting in novel practices.