“…A substantial component of the appropriate performance of being a woman involves motherhood. Ashurst and Hall (), in their attempt to understand the distress of women who sought psychotherapy, concluded that “a woman's capacity to create, bear, and nurture a child is the very essence of her womanhood, her unique and special capacity” (p. 97). This extreme emphasis on motherhood to the centrality of a woman's life produces ironic consequences for stepmothers.…”
Strong cultural values and ideals attached to women in families deem the role of stepmother as inferior to that of biological mother. Although biological motherhood is celebrated, stepmotherhood is stigmatized, and women who wish to become mothers but become stepmothers prior to having biological children may grieve the loss of images surrounding normative ideals of creating a family. Using a feminist family science approach, the purpose of this grounded theory study was to explore the experiences of women without children in their transition to stepmotherhood. Interviews with 23 stepmothers (aged 26–47) revealed that women engaged in an internal process of creating and then adjusting personal images of family life to accommodate their new family circumstances. The process of (re)constructing family images had implications for later adjustment to stepmotherhood. Notions of the motherhood hierarchy emerged to depict the unique experiences of women who became stepmothers prior to having biological children.
“…A substantial component of the appropriate performance of being a woman involves motherhood. Ashurst and Hall (), in their attempt to understand the distress of women who sought psychotherapy, concluded that “a woman's capacity to create, bear, and nurture a child is the very essence of her womanhood, her unique and special capacity” (p. 97). This extreme emphasis on motherhood to the centrality of a woman's life produces ironic consequences for stepmothers.…”
Strong cultural values and ideals attached to women in families deem the role of stepmother as inferior to that of biological mother. Although biological motherhood is celebrated, stepmotherhood is stigmatized, and women who wish to become mothers but become stepmothers prior to having biological children may grieve the loss of images surrounding normative ideals of creating a family. Using a feminist family science approach, the purpose of this grounded theory study was to explore the experiences of women without children in their transition to stepmotherhood. Interviews with 23 stepmothers (aged 26–47) revealed that women engaged in an internal process of creating and then adjusting personal images of family life to accommodate their new family circumstances. The process of (re)constructing family images had implications for later adjustment to stepmotherhood. Notions of the motherhood hierarchy emerged to depict the unique experiences of women who became stepmothers prior to having biological children.
“…Mastectomy is a frequently performed but emotionally stressful surgical procedure performed all around the world (Euster, 1979). According to Ashurst and Hall (1989) a woman's identity, her perception of herself as a woman, her femininity, and her self-confidence are closely bound to her body-image. The effects of mutilating surgical techniques, such as mastectomy, are well known and disturbances in body-image and psychosexual functioning have been commonly reported (Dean, Hughes, Hughson et al, Maguire, Morris, as cited in Watson, 1991).…”
The present research evaluated depression and anxiety in patients undergoing mastectomy during their pre-surgical and post surgical phases. A Pre-Post Research Design was used. Sample consisted of 50 married mastectomy patients, selected from the Surgery Department of Mayo Hospital, Hameed Latif Hospital and Jinnah Hospital of Lahore, Pakistan. Each subject was individually administered Depression Scale and Anxiety Check-List twice; that is: 1–7 days before and 1–7 days after surgery. The mastectomy patients showed greater depression and anxiety ( t = 1.68; df = 48; * p < 0.05) in the pre-surgical phase as compared to their post surgical phase probably due to the emphasis on body image and long-term psychosocial and sexual conflicts associated with the loss of this organ.
“…A woman's capacity to create, bear and nurture a child is the very essence of her womanhood, her unique and special capacity—prized, feared, envied, protected, and celebrated. (Ashurst & Hall, , p. 97)I was so indoctrinated by pronatalism until my late twenties that I did not actually realise that having children—or, at least, the desire to bear a child—was a choice. Unthinkingly, I would probably—I am embarrassed to admit—have agreed with both Ibsen's character from A Doll's House , Torvald Helmer, quoted in the title of this subsection (Ibsen, , p. 228), that, above all else, I would be a mother, and with Ashurst, as quoted in the epigraph, since I upheld pronatal views myself.…”
Section: “Before All Else You Are a Wife And A Mother”mentioning
confidence: 99%
“…A woman's capacity to create, bear and nurture a child is the very essence of her womanhood, her unique and special capacity—prized, feared, envied, protected, and celebrated. (Ashurst & Hall, , p. 97)…”
Section: “Before All Else You Are a Wife And A Mother”mentioning
Choosing not to have children remains a quietly controversial decision. Curious about the increasing phenomenon of childlessness coinciding with a recognition of her internalised pronatal conditioning and her gradual realisation that she would not be a mother, the author started researching the parenthood decision in the late 1990s. Through autoethnography this paper explores pronatalism and prejudice towards those without child, particularly those who are voluntarily childless-now commonly known beyond K E Y W O R D S childfreedom, elective childlessness, otherhood, pronatalism, voluntary childlessness I began researching the parenthood decision in the late 1990s when I first realised that having children is a choice-for most people. I wanted to give myself the chance to reflect on the possibility of not being a mother, having always assumed I would become one. I wanted to reflect on the possibility of creating rather than procreating. I soon realised, through researching, talking and listening, that choosing not to have children was a taboo subject. It was also then barely talked about publicly. As time passed, I paid attention to my internalised pronatal conditioning as a result of the more explicit pronatalist assumptions and opinions coming my way. This article is a response to this taboo; it unpacks pronatalism, and explores how it is to be "other" (see Turner, Callaghan, & Gordon-Finlayson, 2016), in my case, other than a mother to human children. This othering is enhanced when those who are childfree embody an intersection of "othernesses," for example in terms of colour, class, race and faith, among other identities. I close by exploring the potency of childfreedom, particularly in the anthropocene, reclaiming and building upon what Peterson and Engwall (2013, p. 387) call the "silent body."In parallel with researching academic literature, conversations were invaluable in my childfree decision making through my late 20s and early 30s, as I became curious about the increasing societal/demographic trend of childlessness. These conversations with friends and family were many and varied in how they related to the parenthood decision: the decision not to bear children, the regret of not bearing children, the ambivalence of being a parent, ambivalence towards engaging with the parenthood decision, the joy of childfreedom contrasted acutely with the immense sorrow of losing a child and finding oneself childless through unexpected and unwanted circumstances.These conversations continue with clients, supervisees and trainees, as well as friends and family. I feel much gratitude to everyone who has talked freely with me.These conversations have offered the richest learning; perhaps because the parenthood/non-parenthood decision remains shrouded in assumptions and taboos, so that this subject is largely only up for discussion in intimate relationships-and for some is never or rarely discussed. It has not been surprising, then, to witness repeatedly the relief expressed when participants are able to talk about this ...
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