Journal of Technical Writing and Communication Jul 2014

Redefining the Workplace: The Professionalization of Motherhood through Blogging

Emily January Petersen Utah State University

Abstract

Professional identity is oft explored in the field, but such identities usually reside institutionally and may exclude women who engage in professional communication from the workplace of the home. One instantiation of this extra-institutional professionalism is mom blogs, the authors of which create content, find sponsors, and address issues important to mothers. Yet the women lack legitimacy as professionals because of the title “mommy blogger” and because of the notion that blogging is a hobby. My qualitative study explores how mom bloggers claim a professional space in communication. I interviewed 22 mom bloggers, using Faber's (2002, [18]) theory of professionalism and Durack's (1997, [17]) ideas of redefining terms, such as “workplace,” to include women. My findings show that mom bloggers engage in the characteristics of professional communicators, model egalitarian professionalism, employ an ethic of care that combats elitism, and challenge the field to include their work, from the home and through new media, as professional.

Journal
Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
Published
2014-07-01
DOI
10.2190/tw.44.3.d
Open Access
Closed
Topics
qualitative research multimodality professional writing

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (10)

  1. Jordan et al. (2025)
    Queer Potential in Professional Communication: “Queer Use” & Terms of Service
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  2. Hatcher et al. (2024)
    (Re)situating Professionalism: Using Course Documents As Tactical Tools in the …
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  3. Hsiao (2024)
    Professional Critical Consciousness: Bridging Classroom Theory with Workplace P…
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  4. Stambler (2022)
    “An Excelent Good Remedi”: Medical Recipes as Ethos-Building Tactical Technical…
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  5. Moeggenberg et al. (2022)
    Trans Oppression Through Technical Rhetorics: A Queer Phenomenological Analysis…
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
Show all 10 →
  1. Itchuaqiyaq et al. (2022)
    Sex Work and Professional Risk Communication: Keeping Safe on the Streets
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  2. Rajan (2021)
    Making When Ends Don’t Meet: Articulation Work and Visibility of Domestic Labor…
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  3. Edenfield (2019)
    Research in Cooperatives: Developing a Politically Conscious Research Methodology
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  4. Petersen et al. (2018)
    Bridging Analysis and Action
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  5. Carradini (2018)
    An Organizational Structure of Indie Rock Musicians as Displayed by Facebook Usage
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication

Cites in this index (15)

  1. Hallenbeck (2012)
    User Agency, Technical Communication, and the 19th-Century Woman Bicyclist
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  2. Haas (2012)
    Race, Rhetoric, and Technology
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  3. Ding (2009)
    Rhetorics of Alternative Media in an Emerging Epidemic: SARS, Censorship, and E…
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  4. Markel (2009)
    Anti-Employer Blogging: An Overview of Legal and Ethical Issues
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  5. Kynell et al. (2009)
    The Association of Teachers of Technical Writing: The Emergence of Professional…
    Technical Communication Quarterly
Show all 15 →
  1. Spoel (2008)
    Communicating Values, Valuing Community through Health-Care Websites: Midwifery…
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  2. Schryer et al. (2005)
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    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  3. Moore (2004)
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    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  4. Faber (2002)
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    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  5. Dannels (2000)
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    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
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    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
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    Technical Communication Quarterly
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    Technical Communication Quarterly
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    Technical Communication Quarterly
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    Interpersonal Conflict in Collaborative Writing: What We Can Learn from Gender …
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
Also cites 4 works outside this index ↓
  1. 10.1177/0021943611414540
     ↗
  2. 10.1111/j.1468-2885.2007.00290.x
     ↗
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CrossRef global citation count: 20 View in citation network →

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