Motherhood

How do society's expectations about motherhood affect the self-esteem of women--especially those who are unable to bear children? Why don't childcare books also address the needs of the mother? Answering these and other important questions, the contributors go beyond the usual boundaries of developmental and social psychology and address the different aspects of motherhood including the psychological view of motherhood, motherhood and employment, and mothering handicapped children. They explore the diverse situations, meanings, and experiences of mothers and reveal how these interact with prevailing social constructions and ideologies about "normal" or "ideal" motherhood. Professionals and students in gender studies, social psychology, and related areas will find this volume essential for understanding the impact motherhood has on women's development. "This is an excellent and well-written book, exploring personalized meanings of motherhood and the manifestations of those meanings in practice. It manages to avoid an overly polemic or politicized stance while grappling bravely with issues of social control and political power. . . . What makes this book a refreshing book and one long overdue is the particular methodology underpinning all the newer research described. . . . The real courage of this book is that it dares to ask the questions it does. It dares to explore the mother's needs, her other relationships, her other children, her perception of self. It dares to challenge the established order." --The British Journal of Educational Psychology "This book makes a valiant contribution to the ceaslessly formidable challenge of denaturalizing 'maternal thinking.'" --Journal of Marriage and the FamilyPhoenix, Ann is the author of 'Motherhood', published 1991 under ISBN 9780803983137 and ISBN 0803983131.