Title: Five Evolutionary Shifts Reshaping Modern Perspectives on Motherhood
Over the past decade, the discourse surrounding motherhood has undergone a substantial transformation. This shift mirrors societal evolutions in gender roles, family dynamics, and workplace equality. From acknowledging unpaid labor to advocating for workplaces that truly support working mothers, the narrative surrounding parenthood, particularly motherhood, has drastically changed.
Experts point to five significant trends shaping this evolution.
- Appreciating the Economic Benefits of Supporting Working Mothers:
The pandemic amplified discussions about the juggle of work and motherhood, particularly with the rise of remote work and caregiving responsibilities. With renewed advocacy for parental leave policies, childcare support, and workplace flexibility, there's a focus on how these issues disproportionately impact mothers.
Lauren Smith Brody, an author and activist who published "The Fifth Trimester" in 2017, has been at the forefront of this conversation. In contrast to her earlier phrase "back to work after maternity leave," she now consciously uses "back to paid work after maternity leave."
"All mothers work, and all work matters," says Brody. "Paid or unpaid, it all counts." According to her, 41% of families have a primary- or solo-breadwinning mother.
Utilizing her work with organizations and her role as co-founder of the nonpartisan national nonprofit Chamber of Mothers, Brody champions systemic change that supports all caregivers.
"When we support all caregivers, we uplift the often unseen labor of women and help propel gender equality," she explains.
Christine Michel Carter, an advocate for working mothers, believes the pandemic marked a turning point in how society views working parents.
"It forced companies to prioritize policies previously dismissed as impossible," she says. "In 2020, over 1.4 million mothers left the workforce, which is a significant number. Backup care during the pandemic was crucial for organizations that wanted to retain their employees. Without it, half of working parents would have reduced their hours, a third would have missed critical deadlines, and 20% would have left their jobs altogether. The pandemic highlighted the mothers' crucial role at work and home, underscoring the importance of providing them with meaningful support."
Carter highlights persisting systemic challenges, such as unequal pay, insufficient childcare facilities, and limited fatherly leave, which contribute to imbalanced parenting roles.
"Addressing these interconnected issues demands a three-pronged approach integrating policy, workplace culture, and societal expectations," she suggests.
On a brighter note, many now realize that empowering mothers is not merely a convenience but a question of equity and sustainability. Brody echoes this, emphasizing that offering improved parental support is beyond a compassionate choice but a profitable one.
- Recognizing that All Mothers Work, Whether Paid or Not:
Nine years ago, Neha Ruch, who earned her MBA from Stanford and worked in brand marketing, became a mother. She faced shame and stigma for her decision to downshift her career and eventually take a break to stay home.
This experience led Ruch to establish the Mother Untitled movement, dedicated to shifting perceptions of stay-at-home motherhood.
"My mission was — and still is — to empower women to take career pauses with confidence, without shame, and with a sense of possibility," she explains.
Ruch recently published "The Power Pause," a "how-to" guide for modern mothers to confidently prepare for career pauses, enjoying their time at home while also safeguarding their long-term ambitions.
Ruch observes that the conversation around motherhood, particularly stay-at-home motherhood, is evolving more significantly due to the work arising from Mother Untitled.
She criticizes antiquated perceptions of stay-at-home mothers, noting that "The June Cleaver image from the 1950s has now morphed into one-dimensional characters like Craft Project Mom, Peppy Athleisure Mom, or Exhausted-in-Sweatpants Mom. These stereotypes do not correctly represent the majority of stay-at-home mothers, especially the nearly three million women of prime working age who went on career breaks for childcare reasons during the pandemic."
With "The Power Pause," Ruch aims to showcase diverse stories of stay-at-home mothers who defy these stereotypes. She believes that it's essential for society to recognize career pauses as an integral part of a larger strategy so that more women can confidently choose to pause or downshift without stigma or financial penalty.
- Evaluating the Impact of Social Media on Motherhood:
What used to be seen as sincere is now frequently perceived as contrived. While some mothers experience empowerment in sharing their struggles honestly on social media, others face pressure to present idealized versions of motherhood. This is apparent in the rise of "trad wife culture," a movement where women embrace traditional gender roles, focusing on homemaking and childcare while their husband serves as the primary breadwinner.
In earlier social media years, mothers often had meaningful conversations about motherhood, bringing greater awareness to mental health issues like postpartum depression and other challenges that were previously unwilling to address.
"The overall conversation about motherhood and women incorporating their children more into their work lives has certainly increased," Daniella Rabbani, host of The Mom Curious Podcast, points out. "Influencers and mommy bloggers have done a tremendous service to women in this regard. Brands seek influential women with engaged audiences who are incorporating motherhood into their professional models."
However, Rabbani acknowledges that online candor carries a price. "Mothers now have market value and relevance," she says. "However, most accounts are overly stylized, self-promoting, and even dishonest portrayals of motherhood. While these portrayals may benefit individual creators, they can be damaging to mothers in general."
The best strategy, she believes, is for mothers to be truthful to each other, promoting a supportive environment.
- Expanding the Conversation to Include All Caregivers:
A subtle yet impactful shift observed by Brody is the name change of employee resource groups (ERGs). Groups initially called "Moms at [Company Name]" are now transitioning to more inclusive titles, such as "Families at [Company Name]" or "Caregivers at [Company Name]."
"There's still a well-established cultural belief that caregiving is primarily a mother's responsibility," says Deepti Sharma, an activist and former Entrepreneur in Residence at Barnard and Columbia. "This mentality not only restricts mothers but also excludes fathers and non-traditional caregivers from fully engaging in parenting. To progress, we require systemic changes like universal childcare and paid leave, but we also need a cultural shift that values caregiving as a shared responsibility, not a gendered one."
Recognizing the care work carried out not only by mothers but also by fathers and caregivers of all genders has emphasized its significance and the value society is now placing on it.
"More people are talking about caregiving as essential, valuable work," Sharma adds. "It's no longer relegated to the background."
- Understanding Motherhood Challenges as Systemic, Not Individual:
"We're finally transitioning away from the idea that the challenges facing motherhood in America are personal weaknesses, and beginning to recognize it as structural and policy weaknesses," says Dawn Huckelbridge, founding director of Paid Leave for All. "Our systems haven't caught up. Although we passed temporary policies like paid leave and made short-term investments in childcare, we then reverted to the status quo. There is still a significant amount of commercial power in perpetuating the myth that motherhood persists."
"Our system is flawed," says Brody. "We have a school day that is hours shorter than the workday. AAP guidelines require mothers to keep their babies in their rooms until six months and breastfeed until two years, but there's no financial support to make that possible."
Huckelbridge anticipates that in 2025 and beyond, these conversations will remain at the forefront. As the "sandwich generation" expands, spouses, partners, and men more extensively assume caregiving responsibilities, enhancing its visibility and value.
"Issues surrounding women's care and labor are finally being perceived as not just social or 'soft' issues, but as economic necessities," Huckelbridge explains.
"American society is going through growing pains, moving one step forward and then another step back," she continues. "Presently, traditional and toxic masculinity is attempting to reclaim its grip. The conventional and toxic mentality can seem easier — we could continue shouldering the majority of the work and burden, or we could all put in the hard work of creating new gender norms and the investments required to create new programs, such as federal paid leave."
"It's a house of cards," Huckelbridge concludes. "Women cannot manage everything alone, and if we don't invest in genuine infrastructure, the whole structure will eventually collapse."
Daniella Rabbani, the host of The Mom Curious Podcast, acknowledges the shift in conversations about motherhood on social media. She notes that while it has brought awareness to mental health issues and empowered mothers, it also leads to pressure to present an idealized version of motherhood and can be damaging to mothers in general.
Christine Michel Carter, an advocate for working mothers, highlights the turning point the pandemic brought to society's view of working parents. She mentions Dawn Huckelbridge, the founding director of Paid Leave for All, who comments on the need to transition away from viewing motherhood challenges as personal weaknesses and start recognizing them as structural and policy weaknesses.
Lauren Brody, an author who published "The Fifth Trimester" in 2017, emphasizes the importance of paid leave for mothers. Neha Ruch, the founder of Mother Untitled, discusses her movement that aims to empower women to take career pauses with confidence and without stigma, leading to her publication of "The Power Pause."
Deepti Sharma, an activist, points out the cultural belief that caregiving is primarily a mother's responsibility, and it restricts and excludes fathers and non-traditional caregivers. This observation highlights the need for a cultural shift beyond systemic changes like universal childcare and paid leave.
Nominated experts and influencers like Lauren Smith Brody, Lauren Brody, Danielle Rabbani, Christine Michel Carter, Daniella Rabbani, Dawn Huckelbridge, Neha Ruch, and Deepti Sharma contribute to the transformation in discourse surrounding motherhood, incorporating economic benefits of supporting working mothers, recognizing all mothers work, evaluating social media's impact, expanding the conversation to include all caregivers, and understanding motherhood challenges as systemic, not individual.