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Why We Need To Abolish the Phrase ‘As a Mother…’
Did you know how anti-feminist that modifier is?
It really isn’t too difficult to understand, and yet here we are.
The prefix “As a Mother…” used as an opinion modifier is still being rolled out in statements and conversations like a red carpet for mothers, while those of us who don’t have children are begrudgingly allowed into the conversation via the side door.
It happens regularly.
Samantha Cameron, the wife of former UK Prime Minister David Cameron, used this term when visiting a Syrian refugee camp. Michelle Obama used this term when advocating for healthy lunches for students.
Sometimes, staunchly feminist women peddle this phrase without realising how anti-feminist it is. So sharp are the fangs of pronatalism that even the best of us get chewed up.
Feminism is about ripping down hierarchies created by the patriarchy. And while there are many intersections of feminism, one rarely discussed is the intersection of feminism and our reproductive status.
We need to support mothers, and rightly so, that is one aspect of feminism, but sometimes feminism forgets that a quarter of women don’t have children.
