Motherhood is a source of joy for many, but it presents multiple challenges and issues, exacerbated by dominant and patriarchal standards. The idea of motherhood is replete with gendered expectations. This perspective is rooted in conventional gender roles, wherein the responsibility of nurturing and raising infants is exclusively assigned to the mother; fulfilling every need of the infant is also relegated to her; the physical, reproductive, and mental health of the new mother is frequently overlooked and disregarded by society; and numerous other detrimental gendered expectations are inherent to patriarchal maternity.
A mother is expected to be sacrificing and submissive to the needs of the infant or the newborn, often asked to forget her physical, psychological and maternal health. As a result, women suffer from various mental health-related conditions during and after pregnancy. According to The Lancet Journal, “Every year, at least 40 million women are likely to experience a long-term health problem caused by childbirth.”
The study also found that “a high burden of postnatal conditions that persist in the months or even years after giving birth. These include pain during sexual intercourse (dyspareunia), affecting more than a third (35 percent) of postpartum women; low back pain (32 percent); anal incontinence (19 per cent); urinary incontinence (8-31 percent); anxiety (9-24 percent); depression (11-17 percent); perineal pain (11 percent); fear of childbirth (tokophobia) (6-15 percent); and secondary infertility (11 percent).”
In response to the prevailing and enduring patriarchal ideals of maternity that fundamentally constrain women’s freedom and autonomy, particularly physical autonomy, feminist reinterpretations of motherhood emerged. This notion is founded on several feminist principles and beliefs advocating for mothers’ freedom, autonomy, and well-being.
Feminist motherhood urges mothers to reject the notion of suppressing their sentiments and emotions about motherhood; instead, they are urged to articulate their desires and emotions, regardless of their positive or negative nature. It informs mothers that self-sacrifice is unnecessary; they are entitled to pursue their interests, aspirations, and well-being. It also rejects the presumption that mothers must be the exclusive carers of their children.
Feminist motherhood operates intersectionally, positing that maternal experiences are influenced by one’s socioeconomic status, including factors such as caste, class, and race. Some feminists claim that motherhood confines women inside patriarchy, whereas others assert that motherhood and its experiences can embody feminist principles. Adrienne Rich maintains that the patriarchal conception of motherhood, rather than the experience of mothering, constitutes the foundation of women’s oppression.
Feminist maternity advocates for a different approach to motherhood, one that breaks the patriarchal and gendered expectations of motherhood and relegates the duty of rearing children to both parents equally. It also shuns the idea that mothers need to be self-sacrificing creatures, prioritising their kids; rather, it asks mothers to be open and ambitious about their lives.
Consequently, due to the conventional and patriarchal definitions and expectations of motherhood, discourses regarding the restricted and repressive aspects of patriarchal maternity frequently become ambiguous or are not articulated at all. We at FII have committed to discussing and fostering discourse on the topic of feminist motherhood this month.
Here are some pointers for you to consider while writing your articles on this topic:
- Feminist motherhood, as opposed to traditional motherhood
- Co- and equal parenting
- Maternal health and reproductive health
- Mental health of mothers
- Mothers aren’t self-sacrificing
- Motherhood and caste
- Motherhood and class
- Motherhood and queerness
- Motherhood and disability
- Motherhood and religion
- Breastfeeding and motherhood
- Sustainable parenting
- “Perfect Mother” myth
This list is not exhaustive and you may feel free to write on topics within the theme that we may have missed out on here. Please refer to our submission guidelines before you send us your entries. You may email your pitches or draft submissions to shahinda@feminisminindia.com.
We look forward to your drafts and hope you enjoy writing them!
Note: As a result of our stringent editorial policy against appropriation, we strongly encourage authors who are mothers to write the pieces to highlight their lived experiences.
About the author(s)
Feminism In India is an award-winning digital intersectional feminist media organisation to learn, educate and develop a feminist sensibility and unravel the F-word among the youth in India.
