After watching the film Adam (2019), directed by Maryam Touzani, in my Arabic Culture course, I felt myself drawn to the strong themes portrayed throughout the film. The film explores the experiences of single motherhood as a whole in modern day Morocco, a theme often overlooked in both academia and cinema. The film is centered around the lives of Samia, an unwed pregnant woman, and Abla, a widow who runs a small bakery. As their lives intersect for a short while, they attempt to navigate the societal expectations of strict cultural norms together. This blog entry examines the central themes of single motherhood in Adam, and the broader implications that carry into the contemporary Arab World.

The primary themes and issues revolving around the film’s protagonists involve their identity as single mothers. Single motherhood in Arab societies is accompanied with social stigma and isolation. Morocco, like many other Arab nations, places significant value on family honor, which is tightly linked to women’s behavior and sexuality (Loza, 2022). Due to these values, Samia is forced to both leave her home town in search of economic opportunities, as well as hide her pregnancy from the people that know her. Throughout the film, Samia is ostracized due to the societal shame surrounding her pregnancy, forcing her into a transient and unrespected existence, constantly running around searching for work and a place she can stay.

The other protagonist of the film, Abla, faces societal pressures from both similar and different avenues. As a widow, she struggles with her role in the community, balancing her duties as a mother and as a businesswoman in a patriarchal society. These socially conflicting roles lead her to be initially resistant to helping Samia. Even after deciding to shelter and help Samia, she endures her own struggles by shutting her out of her own issues. The portrayal of the two women’s evolving bond offers a unique look at how the norms that they live shape their individual lives, inhibiting their emotional connections.

The intersectionality of single motherhood and the accompanying issues is significant across all cultures of the world, however, if we zoom into particularly the Arab world, we realize how marginalized these groups of women are. One of the main factors of Arab culture is honor, especially in regards to the family dynamics (Dodd, P. C, 1973). Thus, stemming from this factor, motherhood outside of marriage is often associated with shame and dishonor, leading to social exclusion. This exclusion and ostracization reflects the broader gender inequalities that exist in Arab societies, where a woman’s autonomy is both heavily policed and judged. Unwed mothers face significant barriers, including limited access to healthcare, employment, and social services (Berwick, 2017). Many are forced to live in secrecy, cut off from both family and community. All of these aspects are reflected in Samia’s character, who finds herself in another city with no support network as she lies to her family about her current situation to preserve her and their honor.

To add to the list of obstacles that Unwed mothers face, including discrimination in the workplace and lack of access to welfare services, all of these factors force these mothers into poverty (Berwick, 2017). This portrayal is depicted in Samia’s initial homelessness.

On top of being a cinematic masterpiece, I found the organization of the film’s themes to be quite clever. The shared pain, mutual support, and resilience of Abla and Samia, in a society that overlooks them, is crafted in a way that allows them to reclaim some autonomy in their lives. The emotional struggles of grief and endurance experienced by both women was a reflection of how pressures mold individual lives.

Abla’s character embodies the expectations placed on widows. She has to adhere to an image of respectability to honor her late husband. She raises her daughter alone and acts as both a father and mother to her, hence the reason she has a cold personality throughout the film. In contrast, Samia’s character illustrates the lack of a safety net for women in her shoes, women that fall outside of traditional roles.

In both the Arab and American worlds, single mothers face excessive economic burden, consequences of bearing the brunt of societal expectations. While the economic burdens are similar, the role of reputation and honor is more central in the Arab context, where dependence on family is viewed favorably. In contrast to Arab norms, economic independence and self-reliance is an emphasis placed on individuals in American societies, forgiving single mothers socially.

Finally, Adam suggests the importance of solidarity and community among women. The bond that forms between Abla and Samia provides a powerful counter-narrative to the isolation that both women experience. The scenes in which Abla slowly opens up to Samia reflect the possibility of unity trumping the expectations that women face.

To conclude this blog entry, it is easy to say that Arab society is purely discriminatory, and there are definitely themes of it throughout the film, however, I would also suggest that the themes of solidarity are stronger. The emphasis of societal expectations placed on women in Arab societies is accompanied with many challenges. The focus on the universal stigmas associating single motherhood from the Arab perspective sheds light on the tolls that women living outside of societal norms face. The role of family honor and the nuanced portrayal of Arab society allows us to understand why Abla and Samia take the actions that they do. The challenges they faced brought them together and allowed them to overcome both physical and mental hurdles that they had trouble overcoming. It is with films like this that societal change happens, and hopefully with enough solidarity can single motherhood in the Arab world not bring an end to opportunities to the women and families involved.

References

Abrams, L. S., & Curran, L. (2010). Maternal identity negotiations among low-income women with symptoms of postpartum depression. Qualitative Health Research, 21(3), 373–385. https://doi.org/10.1177/1049732310385123

Berwick, L.V (2017) Single Mothers in Morocco: Social Stigma and Struggle for Identity. [Master’s Dissertation, University of London]

Dodd, P. C. (1973). Family Honor and the Forces of Change in Arab Society. International Journal of Middle East Studies, 4(1), 40–54. http://www.jstor.org/stable/162224

Loza, Y. (2022). Women’s bodies and lives as symbols of patriarchal codes: Honor killings. Social Science Information, 61(4), 371–389. https://doi.org/10.1177/05390184221129227