The Construction of the Female Identity in Pre-Adolescence; A Phenomenological Study of the Experience of Girls and their Mothers

Aristoniki Theodosiou-Tryfo

Abstract

In the context of the post-modern theory of gender this study investigates how the gender identity of preadolescent girls is constructed through the components of ethno-cultural origin and socio-economic status with respect to the experiences of 15 tweens girls and their mothers in Thessaloniki. The research was qualitative. The focus groups, the phenomenological method of Betensky and semi-structured interviews were used for data collection while the thematic method was used for the analysis. The results indicate that, through the experience of tweens girls and their mothers, gender identity in pre-adolescence is influenced from popular culture and the relationship between mother and daughter as well as ethno-cultural background and socioeconomic status which constitute as optical components in the construction of the female identity. This article concentrates on the second objective of the research which is the relationship between mother and daughter in the pre-adolescent period.