Essay about Feminism and Changing Perceptions of Motherhood

Societal perceptions of motherhood in North America have changed drastically over the last century and continue to change. Due to prescribed traditional gender roles, the concept of motherhood has historically been latent in the concept womanhood, in that a woman’s ability to reproduce was seen to be an inherent part of her identity. Thus there existed societal pressures not only for women to become mothers, but to fit into the impossible standard of being the â€Å"perfect mother†. However, as the feminist movement gained more ground and women were increasingly incorporated into the workforce, these traditional views of gender roles and in turn motherhood were challenged. As the family dynamics that exist today are much more diverse, what†¦show more content†¦They argue that this media driven debate pins working mothers against stay-at-home mothers in order to â€Å"divert the dialogue away from the real issues such as affordable health care, quality childcar e, gender and racial equality, fathers’ roles in parenting, media effects, fair wages and benefits, and family-friendly work arrangements† (204). They state that in this culture of mother-blame, mothers have been blamed for causing problems in regards to childhood development such as, â€Å"epilepsy, colitis, asthma, ulcers, arthritis, anorexia nervosa, and a multitude of more severe problems in children† (207). However, they argue that it is now â€Å"accepted that these disorders are in fact not caused by poor mothering†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (208). Another issue with the Mommy Wars debate is that it portrays a universal kind of woman – white, affluent, and heterosexual – ignoring the fact that there are many different kinds of mothers of all backgrounds, sexualities, and economic statuses – which can make those who are not reflected as the â€Å"average† mother, feel inadequate. The authors further argue that these messages that working mot hers are harming their children are what discourage women from economic participation and achievement and can have a negative impact on a mother’s perception of herself - which in turn can affect her performance as a parent. It seems that theShow MoreRelatedGender Equality And The Movement For Women s Rights On A Global Scale1174 Words   |  5 Pagestwo controversial perceptions of the meaning of feminism and what feminists stand for. For many years, feminism is considered a series of mere actions exhorting for only women, which is anti-men and overaggressive. 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