Motherhood

Paper Summary:

Discusses social and cultural aspects. Evolving notion of motherhood. Influence of external institutions such as the Church, the State and the medical institutions. Changing attitudes toward mothers and "mothercraft" related to societal perceptions about women. Idea of the connection of childrearing to the public domain. Oppression of women.

From the Paper:

"Although motherhood revolves around women s capacity to reproduce, its inherent concept is primarily defined by the prevalent social and cultural practices of its times. In modern history, the evolving notion of motherhood has enabled external institutions such as the Church, the State and the medical institutions to dictate how women should behave and more specifically how they should raise their children (Ross 4-5). From the development of the concept of the republican motherhood to the infant welfare and eugenics movements of early 20th century, women have had to endure the intrusive participation of outside agents in their domestic arenas and the violation of the privacy of their bodies. This paper thus traces how the changing concept of motherhood has shaped the lives of women in the modern era."

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