Surviving Motherhood in a Different Light: Case Studies on Three Mothers of Children with Mental Disabilities in Manila

Mothers are expected by the society to give primary care to their children, be good and loving wives and manage the household. Mothers who are in marginalized communities have a more complicated situation because they still have to worry where and how they could get the resources to provide for their families, and what little she has, she needs to maximize in order to survive. To mothers who have children with disabilities, that is not just the case. Adding to their problematic situation is having to deal with raising children who have special needs. Despite the multiple burdens of household survival and taking care of their children with special needs, how do mothers cope? How do they negotiate the sharing of their household responsibilities and the caring of children with special needs to the other household members?