Paper short abstract:

In looking at the experiences of single mothers in Casablanca, Morocco, I will seek to explore issues of fear and desire, embodied strategies and multiple negotiations through which women act upon the uncertainties embedded in illegitimate pregnancy and its stigmatization.

Paper long abstract:

Despite existing and being culturally shaped in the past decades, the phenomenon of single motherhood in Morocco is acquiring novel meanings. Recently, the reality of single mothers in Moroccan society has been increasingly mediatised; it has been touched upon by the changes encompassed in the family code reform (2004) and it is the object of several organisations' projects across the country, especially in its economic capital, Casablanca. While being widely discussed in public discourse, being a single mother in Morocco threatens the private sphere of the family and is nonetheless socially stigmatized, being emblematic of illegitimate sexuality. Yet - according to gender differences - the latter is visible throughout society and may be accepted unless its 'proofs' remain invisible. Therefore, pregnancy outside the framework of a socially or legally legitimate union may imply the temporary or definitive disruption of family ties or radical changes in women's lives, such as (inner)migration, fleeing or embodied strategies of pregnancy hiding within one's household until childbirth. Resulting from consensual relationships or violence, sometimes 'discovered' after up to five months, others welcome as divine will or accepted after abortion attempts, reproduction outside a legitimate framework is usually not a choice. It implies multiple social, legal and 'survival' challenges for women of diverse ages, social classes, education levels. Basing my insights on ongoing research, I aim at discussing the multiple uncertainties, fears, anxieties but also issues of desire marking the subjective experiences of women starting from the moment they become aware of their pregnancy outside a legitimate union, through their different coping strategies and negotiations regarding reproduction, sexuality, social and family ties.