The Mother and Her Punishment: Maternal Figures in Israeli Tween TV Series

This study examines maternal figure representations in Israeli television series targeting tweens (8–12 years) through psychoanalytic feminist theory, focusing on symbolic “matricide”—the negation of maternal subjectivity. Using mixed methods, we analyzed eight popular Israeli series (2018–2022) through qualitative thematic analysis and quantitative content-coding of 160 scenes. Four key themes emerged: the ideal mother without desires, the childish maternal subject, the mother–child symbiotic connection, and the alternative symbolic mother. Findings reveal a consistent pattern of symbolic punishment directed at maternal figures regardless of characterization, highlighting mechanisms of cultural control over maternal roles in tween media. The study theoretically innovates by identifying a departure from classical Oedipal structures where female institutional figures replace absent mothers without male mediation, challenging traditional patriarchal models. These insights advance our understanding of how contemporary media shapes cultural narratives of motherhood for younger generations.