“I gestated and gave birth to myself”: a thematic oral history of the constitution of and desire for the maternal occupational role among trans women and travestis

Abstract

Introduction: Gender and sexuality have been widely debated in social, scientific, legal, and other spheres. It is through engagement in human occupations that gender relations take material form, shaping who can engage occupationally and how such engagement is expected to occur within assumed roles. Objective: To understand the constitution of and meanings attributed to maternal occupational desire from the perspective of trans women and travestis. Method: This study was based on thematic oral history. Data were collected between June and August 2023 with eight collaborators, trans women and travestis between 24 and 30 years of age. Snowball sampling was used, and semi-structured interviews were conducted in a single virtual meeting with each collaborator. Results: Regina, Júlia, Medusa, Jéssica, Melissa, Malu, Pandora, and Sol are the collaborators featured in this article, and their accounts outline pathways across three interconnected thematic axes. The first concerns hegemonic social conceptions of the maternal occupational role of trans women and travestis. The second addresses the constitution of and meanings attributed to maternal occupational desire among trans women and travestis. The third concerns possible ways of realizing the desire for the maternal occupational role. Conclusion: Occupational-therapeutic action can contribute to the promotion and emancipation of the maternal occupational role by guiding, addressing, and transforming narratives shaped by inequality and violation.