Susie explores the significance of the language used to describe motherhood, and how our words shape societal expectations of what it means to be a mother.
Topics include:
- The complexity of motherhood language, including addressing issues of gender, race, class, location, ability, and more
- Struggles and responsibilities of using inclusive and non-stereotypical language and balancing empowerment with avoiding romanticization and sexist stereotypes
- Defining mothering vs motherhood, examples of how systems of patriarchy, whiteness, and capitalism affect the motherhood experience, and the difference between dominator and partnership family models
- Insights on mothering from scholars like Sara Ruddick, Adrienne Rich, Andrea O'Reilly, and Patricia Hill Collins
Resources mentioned:
- Sara Ruddick, Maternal Thinking: Toward a Politics of Peace
- Adrienne Rich, Of Woman Born: Motherhood as Experience and Institution
- Andrea O’Reilly, Matricentric Feminism: Theory, Activism, Practice
- Patricia Hill Collins, Shifting the Center: Race, Class, and Feminist Theorizing About Motherhood, from the book Mothering: Ideology, Experience, and Agency
- Center for Partnership Systems
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