Concept information
Preferred term
mothering versus motherhood
Definition
- Maternal scholars in the growing field of motherhood studies argue that there is a complex relationship between mothering and motherhood. While mothering and motherhood are clearly interconnected, there is also a clear distinction between the two concepts and practices.Adrienne Rich's Of Woman BornThis argument is largely based on the theorizing of American feminist Adrienne Rich in her influential 1977 book Of Woman Born: Motherhood as Experience and Institution, where she examines maternal experiences of parenting and how a male-defined, patriarchal institution of motherhood influences women's experiences of mothering: “Throughout this book I try to distinguish between two meanings of motherhood, one superimposed on the other: the potential relationship of any woman to her powers of reproduction and to children; and the institution, which aims at ensuring that that potential—and all women—shall remain under male control.”Rich argues that motherhood is comprised of two overlapping and interrelated realities: mothering, which is based on the mother's relationship with her children; and the patriarchal institution of motherhood that places male-defined, socially constructed and narrowly prescribed expectations on mothers. [Source: Encyclopedia of Motherhood; Mothering versus Motherhood]
Broader concept
Belongs to group
URI
https://concepts.sagepub.com/social-science/concept/mothering_versus_motherhood
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