Illiterate Mothers and Their Daughters: “My daughter should be educated, not be like me”

Objective The primary purpose of this qualitative study was to develop a detailed understanding and an insight into the experiences and roles of illiterate mothers on the educational experiences of their daughters from the perspective of both mothers and the daughters in Turkey. Background Although there are various studies about the effects of mothers on their children, there is not a large body of research examining the experiences of illiterate mothers' daughters and how they perceive these experiences. Method To this end, 21 illiterate mothers and their 21 daughters were interviewed. As a result of the thematic analyses of these interviews, four major themes emerged based on in vivo codes: “Mother, let me change,” “Mother, I will not leave you,” “My daughter, I wish I could do better,” and “My daughter should be educated, and not be like me.” It was understood that participating mothers made sacrifices for their daughters to attend school despite some conflicts and insufficiencies. Expecting their daughters not to be dependent on their husbands and to stand on their own feet in the future was the greatest aspiration of participating illiterate mothers. Conclusion This study shows that illiterate mothers are at the forefront of a difficult struggle to change social beliefs and expectations that prevent women from obtaining education. Implications Illiteracy is at the heart of the problem that some mothers face. An effective policy would be to open literacy centers in areas where women's literacy rates are low. Because these mothers are illiterate, recruiting them to programs should be done in ways that do not include written advertisement. Courses based on human rights, and on women's and children's rights, should be included in the curriculum at schools, offering examples of their implementation and achievements.