Summer is almost over, and the MMO is returning from its mid-year hiatus in full swing. This edition offers a tasty selection of fresh new features, essays, commentary and reviews -- so get ready to load up your plate.
In Features, readers will find my latest (and hopefully last) commentary on Linda Hirshman, which includes a review of her newly released book, Get To Work: A Manifesto for Women of the World. After reading Hirshman's slender treatise on how to solve the equality problem (I read it twice, actually, because I thought I might have missed something the first time through), it occurred to me that trying untangling Hirshman's line of thinking presents the perfect opportunity to ask some crucial questions -- such as, how is women's progress related to larger social transformations, and which comes first? Does modifying individual behavior accelerate social change? Who speaks for feminism? And the real kicker: Do the social conditions necessary for women's full equality even exist yet? As an extra special treat, Reviving the Feminist Mystique includes a set of original charts for those who prefer statistical data served in a visual format.
Also in this month's Features section: a thoughtful discussion by first-time contributor Melissa Wilkins on how Adrienne Rich's Of Woman Born -- still the definitive work on motherhood as a site of oppression and potential source of liberation -- informed her birthing choices. Although not yet a mother when she discovered Rich's 1976 classic, Wilkins writes, "The idea of mothers choosing to reclaim authority over their births from medical professionals seemed radical and perhaps even a bit dangerous. Yet it appealed to me as a practical act of protest available to any pregnant woman willing to insist that she maintain authority over her own body."
In Essays, Terri Pantuso explores the generational transmission of feminist consciousness in the context of caring for her fragile mother and self-possessed young daughters. "If the second wave of feminism during the 1960s and 1970s resulted in the empowerment of white women," she asks, "How did my own 'white' mother miss the movement? Also, how did a woman so afraid of change and naive to the ways of the world raise a daughter (me) who is strong and fearless?" In Who is left to mother me?, Pantuso offers readers a touching and beautifully-crafted piece of writing and valuable insights into the process of feminist mothering.
In Commentary, Nandini Pandya explains why she agrees -- and disagrees -- with Linda Hirshman's agenda for mandatory maternal employment, and regular contributor Sarah Werthan Buttenwieser muses on why photos of breastfeeding babies that actually show a breast still cause an uproar at a time when our culture is becoming noticeably more breastfeeding-friendly.
In Books, Jessica Smartt Gullion reviews and comments on The Imperfect Mom (edited by Therese J. Brochard, 2006), and finds that genuine acceptance of warts-and-all motherhood remains elusive for many of the contributing writers. And in the Short Takes section, we have a review of Joan K. Peters' When Mothers Work (1997), the more thoughtful and sympathetic precursor to Linda Hirshman's "Get To Work."
Usually media coverage and the release of new research on women, work and family slows down during the summer months, but not this year. In this edition's Noteworthy section, fans of MMO will find summaries of important new studies and resources, including a report on getting punched by the work and family clock, an analysis of the dramatic rise in legal actions filed against employers for family responsibilities discrimination, an informative issue brief on why family caregivers need paid leave, new guides on workplace supports for families caring for special need children, and a link to the latest Kids Count Data Book, an state-by-state assessment of children's wellbeing in the U.S. Also in Noteworthy: a brief commentary on Barbara Dafoe Whitehead's essay on "Life Without Children," and dozens of links to notable news and commentary elsewhere on the web. For readers who follow other news blogs and newsgroups, a number of items in the current Noteworthy news round-up will be old hat -- but I decided to include the older stories anyway, if only to document to the sheer volume of media reporting on women and family issues churned out by mass-market and alternative news outlets in the last two months. Something is definitely in the air -- and it smells like change.
Even though the MMO has been on vacation, I've been busy working behind the scenes to help get the mothers' movement moving. I was in Albany, New York in late July for the NOW national conference, which included a young feminist summit (yes, there are young feminists, and they are really hip and smart) and the 40th anniversary celebration of the organization's founding. I am constantly impressed by the leadership of NOW President Kim Gandy and her commitment to economic justice issues, including mothers' and caregivers' economic rights. In June, I attended and gave two presentations at the National Women's Studies Association annual conference in Oakland, California, where feminist motherhood was the hot topic. A highlight of the conference was the Saturday afternoon plenary on Mothering and Resistance/Activism/Social Change with Andrea O'Reilly, Director of the Centre for Research on Mothering, and political scientist Gwendolyn Mink, spoke about welfare reform as a harmful and misguided social policy. Audio CDs of the plenary speeches and Rebecca Walker's Friday evening keynote can be purchased from the NWSA web site.
Registration for the 10th Annual Association for Research on Mothering Conference (October 26 through 29) is now open, and I'm looking forward to connecting face to face with a bunch of my friends and colleagues while I'm in Toronto. I highly recommend this conference to anyone active in the field of feminist motherhood -- ARM events offer an unparalleled opportunity to talk with a diverse group of scholars, social activists and mothers who think deeply about motherhood as an experience and a social issue.
In September, the MMO will turn its attention to Mobilizing Mothers, and we'd love to have readers' essays and commentaries on why we need a mothers' revolution and how to start one (deadline for new copy is September 1). The October edition will cover Maternal Desire -- How do we experience maternal desire and how does it complicate and enrich our lives? Do we have adequate language to describe the universe of maternal desire, or are we forced to fall back on traditional narratives of mother love when we try to express our feelings about children and family? Submissions for this issue are invited, welcome, and encouraged (deadline for copy is October 1). For more information, please download the editorial calendar from the Submissions page or email editor@mothersmovement.org
Just a reminder: Women's Equality Day is Saturday, August 26 -- the perfect occasion to pay a visit the Women Are Getting Even (WAGE) web site to find out more about the WAGE Project and how you can work with women and organizations in your community to support equal pay. Or check out the new YWCA action campaign to eliminate racism and empower women. Looking for more? Maybe you'd like to join Atticus Circle, an organization dedicated to achieving equality for all parents and partners, regardless of their sexual orientation. Better yet, do all three.
As always, loads of thanks to MMO readers and contributing writers, past and present.
In solidarity,
Judith Stadtman Tucker
Editor, The Mothers Movement Online
editor@mothersmovement.org
July/August 2006 |
