Wednesday, March 15, 2006

The Value of Motherhood

I agree with this woman that society undervalues motherhood and I agree that our consumerism and our workaholism are factors in our view of motherhood but I think she's missing the elephant in the room: abortion.

The painful paradox is that while women have liberated themselves from being defined by their biology - the fate of the girl in many African and Asian societies who is not truly a woman until she has given birth - mothers have ended up relegated to the status of constant abject failure in a culture driven by consumerism and workaholism. There is no kudos in being a mum, only in being other things - such as thin, or the boss - despite being a mum. Motherhood is a form of handicap.
Not once in her entire article does she bring up abortion. How can we experience so many abortions in our society and not be changed by it? Why have a baby when you don't have to? As a society we value work and were materialistic and this drives the abortion rate up and in turn that gives us a low view of motherhood.

(Link via Baylyblog)