How Motherhood Empowers Her? Negotiation Practices of Work-Family Boundaries among Media Mothers in the Digital Intelligence Technology Environment

ZENG Lihong; HE Zhenhui; ZHANG Shangmu

PDF(1745 KB)

Chinese Journal of Journalism & Communication ›› 2026, Vol. 48 ›› Issue (2) : 26-46.

Specific Topic/Digital Intelligence Technology and Family Communication Research

How Motherhood Empowers Her? Negotiation Practices of Work-Family Boundaries among Media Mothers in the Digital Intelligence Technology Environment

Author information +

History +

Abstract

Can motherhood empower career development? Following this line of inquiry, this paper investigates the technological practices of media mothers in negotiating the workfamily boundary. The findings indicate that by drawing upon a composite resource configuration of “professional endowments and maternal attributes”, media mothers cultivate “digital-intelligence convergence skills” through boundary negotiation practices, thereby achieving “spacetime arbitrage” and re-functionalizing the professional efficacy of their maternal identity. These “digital-intelligence convergence skills” are embodied competencies defined by digital-intelligence media literacy and innovative cognitive schemas. Such skills enhance the coupling rate and penetration efficiency between digital capital and social resources, repurposing occupational expertise into innovative paths of maternal practice, thereby achieving cross-domain positive spillovers and reverse empowerment of embodied capital. Building on these insights, this paper proposes the concept of “elite motherhood”. The study reveals that “elite motherhood”, as exemplified by media mothers, is an emergent paradigm of maternal practice constructed by the nexus of occupational fluidity and technological embodiment in the digital-intelligence era. The “glimmer of gender” illuminated by this practice may serve to empower educated women, enabling them to exploit diverse career trajectories.

Key words

Media mothers / work-family boundary / digital capital / digital-intelligence convergence skills / elite motherhood

Cite this article

EndNote

Ris (Procite)

Bibtex

Download Citations

ZENG Lihong , HE Zhenhui , ZHANG Shangmu. How Motherhood Empowers Her? Negotiation Practices of Work-Family Boundaries among Media Mothers in the Digital Intelligence Technology Environment[J]. Chinese Journal of Journalism & Communication. 2026, 48(2): 26-46

References

List( Publishing order | Descend order by publishing year | Descend order by cited within ) Chart analysis

[1]	白红义(2018). 因时而作:新闻时间性的再考察. 《国际新闻界》,(6),46-67. Cited in this article [1]

[2]	卜卫(2002). 社会性别视角中的传播新技术与女性. 《妇女研究论丛》,(2),37-42. Cited in this article [1]

[3]	卜卫, 蔡珂(2025). 从数字包容到技术在地化:以乡村妇女为本的技术“嵌入”. 《新闻与写作》,(8),39-49.

[4]	曹晋(2009). 传播技术与社会性别:以流移上海的家政钟点女工的手机使用分析为例. 《新闻与传播研究》,(1),71-77+109. Cited in this article [1]

[5]	陈蒙(2018). 城市中产阶层女性的理想母职叙事———一项基于上海家庭的质性研究. 《妇女研究论丛》,(2),55-66. Cited in this article [3]

[6]	方玲玲(2020). 技术何以“赋权”?——人类的技术与社会性别实践. 《北京理工大学学报(社会科学版)》,(6),164-173. Cited in this article [1]

[7]	甘雨梅(2023). 远程媒介化抚育中的“脚手架”、身体及物质性——以留守儿童与打工父母的视频通话研究为例. 《新闻与传播研究》,(1),85-102+128. Cited in this article [1]

[8]	何映霏, 张国良(2023). 被遮蔽的数字鸿沟:新闻场域中女性记者的数字资本及其转换效果. 《新闻大学》,(2),89-103+120-121. Cited in this article [1]

[9]	贺萧, 王政(2008). 中国历史:社会性别分析的一个有用的范畴. 《社会科学》,(12),141-154+186. Cited in this article [1]

[10]	胡春阳(2012). 《寂静的喧嚣永恒的联系:手机传播与人际关系》. 上海三联书店. Cited in this article [1]

[11]	胡春阳, 毛荻秋(2019). 看不见的父母与理想化的亲情:农村留守儿童亲子沟通与关系维护研究. 《新闻大学》,(6),57-70+123. Cited in this article [1]

[12]	李原(2013). 工作家庭的冲突与平衡:工作—家庭边界理论的视角. 《社会科学战线》,(2),180-188. Cited in this article [1]

[13]	刘杰, 张璐瑶(2024). 文化传媒行业工作组织中的性别化机制研究. 《全球传媒学刊》,(5),134-152. Cited in this article [1]

[14]	闾丘露薇(2021). “我们还需要讨论性别平等?”——香港记者性别意识探讨. 《传播与社会学刊》,(57),29-52. Cited in this article [1]

[15]	裴谕新, 龚泽玉(2022). “鸡娃不如鸡自己”:粤港澳大湾区创业女性的母职再造. 《妇女研究论丛》,(5),70-82. Cited in this article [1]

[16]	彭华新, 赵慧莹(2022). “她者”身份认知:体育新闻职业的“性别隔离”. 《湘潭大学学报(哲学社会科学版)》,(4),182-188. Cited in this article [1]

[17]	皮埃尔·布迪厄(1979/2015). 《区分:判断力的社会批判》(刘晖译). 商务印书馆. Cited in this article [1]

[18]	任韵灵(2024). 人机合作育儿:高强度母职与智能化教养的划界工作与关系调节. 《国际新闻界》,(9),6-25. Cited in this article [1]

[19]	孙萍, 李云帆, 吴俊燊(2022). 身体何以成为基础设施—基于平台劳动语境下外卖骑手的研究. 《新闻与写作》,(9),28-38. Cited in this article [1]

[20]	王海燕(2019). 加速的新闻:数字化环境下新闻工作的时间性变化及影响. 《新闻与传播研究》,(10),36-54+127. Cited in this article [2]

[21]	王蕾(2022). 母职策略:城市中产女性孕产期的母职实践. 《社会建设》,(3),64-78. Cited in this article [1]

[22]	王玥(2022). 女新闻工作者的优势与“自我修炼”. 《青年记者》,(5),19-20. Cited in this article [1]

[23]	王昀, 张逸凡(2022). 即刻联结与流动“办公”:通勤情境中的新闻从业者及其生产实践. 《新闻记者》,(7),33-44. Cited in this article [1]

[24]	吴璟薇, 毛万熙, 张金牛(2022). 职业书写的“去性别化”与“再性别化”:民国时期的中文打字机与女打字员. 《妇女研究论丛》,(6),67-83. Cited in this article [1]

[25]	吴璟薇, 张雅迪(2022). 数字实践中的“混合父职”建构:爸爸博主的在线自我呈现. 《妇女研究论丛》,(2),70-84.

[26]	吴小英(2021). 母职的悖论:从女性主义批判到中国式母职策略. 《中华女子学院学报》,(2),30-40. Cited in this article [1]

[27]	肖索未, 汤超萍(2021). 流动的母职:乡城迁移中的母职协商. 《妇女研究论丛》,(2),66-83. Cited in this article [1]

[28]	杨菊华(2018). 边界与跨界:工作—家庭关系模式的变革. 《探索与争鸣》,(10),62-71+142. Cited in this article [1]

[29]	杨菊华(2019). “性别—母职双重赋税”与劳动力市场参与的性别差异. 《人口研究》,(1),36-51. Cited in this article [1]

[30]	杨可(2018). 母职的经纪人化——教育市场化背景下的母职变迁. 《妇女研究论丛》,(2),79-90. Cited in this article [2]

[31]	喻国明(2024). 试析数智时代传播领域的三个关键性改变. 《学术探索》,(9),60-66. Cited in this article [1]

[32]	余玲铮, 魏下海, 万江滔(2021). 信息技术、性别红利与要素收入分配. 《学术月刊》,(3),63-72. Cited in this article [1]

[33]	赵雅馨(2023). 数字母职实践:在线分享育儿信息的内在逻辑、行动策略与群体认同. 《当代青年研究》,(3),37-47. Cited in this article [1]

[34]	中华全国新闻工作者协会.(2022年5月16日) 中国新闻事业发展报告(2022年发布). http://www.zgjx.cn/2022-05/16/c_1310592108.htm http://www.zgjx.cn/2022-05/16/c_1310592108.htm Cited in this article [1]

[35]	Amirkamali, F., Casper, W. J., Hyde, S. A., Wayne, J. H., & Vaziri, H. (2024). Setting our boundaries: The role of gender, values, and role salience in work-home boundary permeability. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 97(3), 1076-1099. Cited in this article [1]

[36]	Bourdieu, P. (2011). The forms of capital.(1986). Cultural theory: An anthology, 1(81-93), 949. Cited in this article [1]

[37]	Budig, M. (2004). Feminism and the family. The Blackwell companion to the sociology of families, 416-434. Cited in this article [1]

[38]	Budig, M. J., & England, P. (2001). The wage penalty for motherhood. American Sociological Review, 66(2), 204-225. Cited in this article [1]

[39]	Burt, R. S. (1998). The gender of social capital. Rationality and society, 10(1), 5-46. Cited in this article [1]

[40]	Calderón Gómez, D. (2021). The third digital divide and Bourdieu: Bidirectional conversion of economic, cultural, and social capital to (and from) digital capital among young people in Madrid. New Media & Society, 23(9), 2534-2553. Cited in this article [2]

[41]	Christopher, K. (2012). Extensive mothering: Employed mothers’ constructions of the good mother. Gender & Society, 26(1), 73-96. Cited in this article [1]

[42]	Cline, C. G., Toth, E. L., Turk, J. V., Walters, L. M., Johnson, N., & Smith, H. (1986). The velvet ghetto: The impact of the increasing percentage of women in public relations and business communication. Sam Framncsco: IABC Foundation, 27. Cited in this article [1]

[43]	De Vuyst, S., & Raeymaeckers, K. (2019). Is journalism gender e-qual? A study of the gendered accumulation and evaluation of digital capital in journalism. Digital Journalism, 7(5), 554-570. Cited in this article [1]

[44]	Derks, D., & Bakker, A. B. (2014). Smartphone use, work-home interference, and burnout: a diary study on the role of recovery. AppliedPsychology, 63(3), 411-440. Cited in this article [1]

[45]	Derya, G. Ü. L. (2019). Evaluation of digital media usage of women through motherhood models as a cultural ideology. Galatasaray Üniversitesi İletişim Dergisi, (31), 137-167. Cited in this article [1]

[46]	Djerf-Pierre, M. (2005). Lonely at the top: Gendered media elites in Sweden. Journalism, 6(3), 265-290. Cited in this article [1]

[47]	Dow, D. M. (2016). Integrated motherhood: Beyond hegemonic ideologies of motherhood. Journal of Marriage and Family, 78(1), 180-196. Cited in this article [1]

[48]	Duxbury, L., Higgins, C., Smart, R., & Stevenson, M. (2014). Mobile technology and boundary permeability. British Journal of Management, 25(3), 570-588. Cited in this article [1]

[49]	Facca, D., Hall, J., Hiebert, B., & Donelle, L. (2023). Understanding the tensions of “good motherhood” through women’s digital technology use: Descriptive qualitative study. JMIR Pediatrics and Parenting, 6(1), e48934. Cited in this article [1]

[50]	Hall, D. T., & Richter, J. (1988). Balancing work life and home life: What can organizations do to help?. Academy of Management Perspectives, 2(3), 213-223. Cited in this article [1]

[51]	Hays, S. (1996). The Cultural Contradictions of Motherhood. Yale University Press. Cited in this article [1]

[52]	Hochschild, A., & Machung, A. (1989). Working parents and the revolution at home. Viking Penguin. Cited in this article [1]

[53]	Huppatz, K., & Goodwin, S. (2013). Masculinised jobs, feminised jobs and men’s ‘gender capital’ experiences: Understanding occupational segregation in Australia. Journal of Sociology, 49(2-3), 291-308. Cited in this article [1]

[54]	Laberge, S. (1995). Toward an integration of gender into Bourdieu’s concept of cultural capital. Sociology of sport journal, 12(2), 132-146. Cited in this article [1]

[55]	Licoppe, C.(2012). Understanding mediated appearances and their proliferation: the case of the phone rings and the “Crisis of the Summons”. New Media & Society, 14(7),1073-1091. Cited in this article [1]

[56]	Mariën, I., & Prodnik, J. A. (2014). Digital inclusion and user (dis) empowerment: A critical perspective. info, 16(6), 35-47. Cited in this article [1]

[57]	Mauss, M. (Ed.). (2006). Techniques, Technology and Civilisation. Durkheim Press. Cited in this article [1]

[58]	McCall, L. (1992). Does gender fit? Bourdieu, feminism, and conceptions of social order. Theory and Society, 26(6), 837-867. Cited in this article [1]

[59]	Nippert-Eng, C. (1996). Calendars and keys: The classification of “home” and “work”. Sociological Forum, 11(3), 563-582. Cited in this article [3]

[60]	Ono, H. (1998). Husbands’ and wives’resources and marital dissolution. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 60(3), 674-689. Cited in this article [1]

[61]	O’ Reilly, A. (2010). Encyclopedia of Motherhood. Sage Publications Inc. Cited in this article [1]

[62]	Paino, M., & Renzulli, L. A. (2013). Digital dimension of cultural capital: The (in) visible advantages for students who exhibit computer skills. Sociology of Education, 86(2), 124-138. Cited in this article [1]

[63]	Park, S. (2017). Digital Capital. Palgrave Macmillan. Cited in this article [1]

[64]	Perreault, G. & Stanfiled, K.(2019). Mobile journalism as lifestyle journalism? Field theory in the integration of mobile in the newsroom and mobile journalist role conception. Journalism Practice, 13(3), 331-348. Cited in this article [1]

[65]	Powell, G. N., & Greenhaus, J. H. (2010). Sex, gender, and the work-to-family interface: Exploring negative and positive interdependencies. Academy of Management Journal, 53(3), 513-534. Cited in this article [1]

[66]	Ragnedda, M. (2018). Conceptualizing digital capital. Telematics and Informatics, 35(8), 2366-2375. Cited in this article [2]

[67]	Rich, A. (1986). Of woman born: Motherhood as experience and institution. W.W. Norton & Company. Cited in this article [1]

[68]	Ross-Smith, A., & Huppatz, K. (2010). Management, women and gender capital. Gender, Work & Organization, 17(5), 547-566. Cited in this article [1]

[69]	Ruddick, S. (1980). Maternal thinking. Feminist Studies, 6(2), 342-367. Cited in this article [1]

[70]	Scott, J., Treas, J., & Richards, M. (Eds.). (2004). The blackwell companion to the sociology of families. Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

[71]	Shockley, K. M., & Allen, T. D. (2010). Investigating the missing link in flexible work arrangement utilization: An individual difference perspective. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 76(1), 131-142. Cited in this article [1]

[72]	Szeman, I. & Kaposy, T. (Eds.).(2011). Cultural theory: An anthology. Wiley-Blackwell.

[73]	Taylor, C. (Ed.).(1994). Multiculturalism: Examining the ploitics of recognition. Princeton Univercity Press. Cited in this article [1]

[74]	Timberlake, S. (2005). Social capital and gender in the workplace. Journal of Management Development, 24(1), 34-44. Cited in this article [1]

[75]	Tong, R. P. (1998). Feminist thought: A more comprehensive introduction. Westview Press. Cited in this article [2]

[76]	Volz, Y. Z., & Lee, F. L. (2013). What does it take for women journalists to gain professional recognition?: Gender disparities among Pulitzer prize winners, 1917-2010. Journalism & Mass Communication, 90(2), 248-266. Cited in this article [1]

[77]	Wajcman, J. (2004). TechnoFeminism. Polity Press. Cited in this article [1]

[78]	Weiss, H. M., & Cropanzano, R. (1996). Affective events theory: A theoretical discussion of the structure, causes, and consequences of affective experiences at work. Research in Organizational Behavior, 18(1), 1-74. Cited in this article [1]

Footnotes

1. 本文将近一年内媒体出行差频率划分为：6次及以下为低频（偶发性参与），7—12次为中频（内容创作者适度活动），12次以上为高频（高强度外勤岗位）。

2. 本文选取的研究对象主要为从事一线新闻采编生产与专业性业务生产（如主持人、编导）、运营、管理的媒体从业者，普通行政岗位等非业务型人员未纳入本文的讨论之中。

3. 根据广州市统计局《2024年广州市国民经济和社会发展统计公报》，2024年广州市城镇居民人均可支配收入83436元；根据广东省人力资源和社会保障厅发布的《2024 年广东省人力资源市场工资价位及行业人工成本信息》，2024年广东省新闻出版、文化专业人员工资高位数是20.07万元/年，上四分位数为13.67万元/年，中位数为9.22万元/年；根据官方文件，本文将收入位于高位数标准划定为高收入群体，以中位数标准划定为中等收入群体。

4. 本文以访谈群体的孩子年龄作为参考标准，全面覆盖婴儿期、儿童期与青春期，以便探究不同育儿阶段下，媒体妈妈差异化的工作—家庭边界协商实践。

5. “外包”包括育儿机构、家政服务、雇佣保姆。

6. 如微博、微信公众号、小红书、抖音、哔哩哔哩等。

Funding

General Project of the National Social Science Foundation of China “Research on the Social Mentality and Occupational Mobility of Media Practitioners in the Convergent Context”(24BXW073)

PDF(1745 KB)

Accesses

Citation

Detail

Sections

Recommended

Please choose a citation manager

Content to export