MOTHERHOOD AS A SOCIAL CONSTRUCT
MOTHERHOOD AS A SOCIAL CONSTRUCT

Author(s): Nada Sekulić
Subject(s): Gender Studies, Sociology
Published by: Institut za filozofiju i društvenu teoriju
Keywords: Good mother ideology; Naturalization of motherhood; Depowerment; Medicalization; Love as social practice.
Summary/Abstract: The good mother is required to be loving and caring, to have ‘never-ending’ supplies of patience, to willingly and regularly spend time with her children, and in this time provide her children with the right sort of attention, stimulation and guidance. She is required to remain calm and relaxed at all times, to be a good listener and communicator, and to be understanding and sensitive to children’s needs. Amongst the tasks she must competently perform are the disciplining of her children, teaching of appropriate behaviour, and everyday basic care tasks of feeding and keeping children clean. In order to manage all this she must have highly developed skills in juggling competing demands; she must be responsible, consistent, fair, able to handle (control?) her children in any situation, never lose her temper—and it would help also if she was energetic, creative, and had a sense of humour.

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