The Modern Mystique: Institutional Mediation of Hegemonic Motherhood

Newman, Harmony; Henderson, A. Cortney

doi:10.1111/soin.12037

Cited by 54 publications

(50 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…The ideal also suggests that motherhood should come naturally and sets a standard that women compare themselves to, a standard characterised by being selfless and fulfilled in their role as a mother (Ussher, 1989; Woollett & Marshall, 2000). Media portrayals of motherhood increase pressure to fulfil the ideology, encouraging many women to strive for perfection (Chae, 2015; Hays, 1998; Henderson, Harmon, & Newman, 2016; Newman & Henderson, 2014).…”

Section: Disconfirmed Expectations Of Motherhood and Postnatal Depresmentioning

confidence: 99%

The relationship between disconfirmed expectations of motherhood, depression, and mother–infant attachment in the postnatal period

Rizzo¹,

Watsford

2020

Australian Psychologist

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Objective: The postnatal period can be both a rewarding and challenging time. Research has found that experiences of motherhood that are less positive than expected are associated with depressive symptoms, however, no known study to date has examined expectations across the separate domains of motherhood and how they impact on attachment. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to investigate whether discrepancies in a mother's expectations regarding their infant, levels of support, and sense of self and their actual experiences post birth impact on maternal feelings of attachment and depression in the postnatal period. Method: Two hundred and thirty-eight mothers in Australia (aged 19-44) who had given birth in the last 12 months voluntarily completed an online survey. Results: As predicted, results revealed that postnatal experiences that were less positive than expected regarding support and sense of self were associated with higher levels of depression and lower levels of attachment. Regarding infant expectations, experiences that were less positive than expected were associated with lower levels of attachment; however, experiences that were more positive than expected were, unexpectedly, associated with higher levels of depression. Conclusion: These findings highlight the importance of providing realistic expectations of motherhood through prenatal education and media messages to promote greater wellbeing and bond between mothers and infants which may maximise the chances of positive infant development.

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Section: Disconfirmed Expectations Of Motherhood and Postnatal Depresmentioning

confidence: 99%

The relationship between disconfirmed expectations of motherhood, depression, and mother–infant attachment in the postnatal period

Rizzo¹,

Watsford

2020

Australian Psychologist

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“…For women especially, Western societies prescribe motherhood as a central life goal through which one achieves womanhood ( Christler, 2013 ), and a dominant discourse of ‘intensive mothering’ norms prescribes mothers to be the main one responsible to take care of the children and to be fully devoted to this task, putting the children’s needs before her own ( Hays, 1996 ; Liss et al, 2013a ; Newman and Henderson, 2014 ). Such social norms and expectations are highly influential for people’s affect, cognition, and behavior ( Major, 1994 ; Cialdini and Trost, 1998 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Feeling Pressure to Be a Perfect Mother Relates to Parental Burnout and Career Ambitions

2018

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Background and aims: Intensive mothering norms prescribe women to be perfect mothers. Recent research has shown that women’s experiences of pressure toward perfect parenting are related to higher levels of guilt and stress. The current paper follows up on this research with two aims: First, we examine how mothers regulate pressure toward perfect mothering affectively, cognitively, and behaviorally, and how such regulation may relate to parental burnout. Second, we examine how feeling pressure toward perfect mothering may spill over into mothers’ work outcomes.Methods: Through Prolific Academic, an online survey was sent to fulltime working mothers in the United Kingdom and United States with at least one child living at home (N = 169). Data were analyzed using bootstrapping mediation models.Results: Feeling pressure to be a perfect mother was positively related to parental burnout, and this relation was mediated by parental stress, by a stronger cognitive prevention focus aimed at avoiding mistakes as a mother, and by higher maternal gatekeeping behaviors taking over family tasks from one’s partner. Moreover, pressure toward perfect mothering had a positive direct effect on career ambitions; and a negative indirect effect, such that mothers with higher felt pressure toward perfect mothering experienced lower work-family balance, which in turn related to lower career ambitions.Conclusion: The findings suggest that intensive mothering norms might have severe costs for women’s family and work outcomes, and provide insights into where to direct efforts to reduce motherhood hardships and protect women’s career ambitions.

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“…Moreover, maternal gatekeeping has been shown to be a result of gender norms. In line with gendered expectations of women being warm, caring, and nurturing, a dominant societal discourse of “intensive mothering” expects mothers to be highly involved and devoted to their children's needs (Hays, ; Liss, Schiffrin, Mackintosk, Miles‐McLean, & Erchull, ; Newman & Henderson, ). Research has shown that women who experience stronger pressure from their environment to be a perfect mother show more maternal gatekeeping behaviors towards their partner, and this effect holds controlling for women's own beliefs of perfect mothering (Meeussen & Van Laar, ).…”

Section: Tackling Barriers To Men's Communal Engagement At the Societmentioning

confidence: 99%

How to Foster Male Engagement in Traditionally Female Communal Roles and Occupations: Insights from Research on Gender Norms and Precarious Manhood

Meeussen

Laar

Grootel

2019

Social Issues Policy Review

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While women are increasingly entering traditionally masculine, agentic occupations and roles, there has been less of a shift in the opposite direction: men moving into traditionally feminine, communal occupations and roles. This paper outlines the negative consequences of men's low communal engagement, and how this inhibits various benefits for men themselves, for the women and children around them, and for society as a whole. We review how sociopsychological processes driven by gender norms and precarious manhood keep men from engaging in communal roles and behaviors. Moreover, we outline how insights into these contextual barriers to men's communal engagement may also be used to facilitate change such that men are freed to pursue both agentic and communal roles. We discuss (the effectiveness of) different interventions at the societal, organizational, social, and relational level that may enable men to pursue communal interests.When talking about gender inequality, people most often think about the disadvantages women face as compared to men-such as the gender pay gap, or women's underrepresentation in leadership positions and high status occupations

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The Modern Mystique: Institutional Mediation of Hegemonic Motherhood

Cited by 54 publications

References 12 publications

The relationship between disconfirmed expectations of motherhood, depression, and mother–infant attachment in the postnatal period

The relationship between disconfirmed expectations of motherhood, depression, and mother–infant attachment in the postnatal period

Feeling Pressure to Be a Perfect Mother Relates to Parental Burnout and Career Ambitions

How to Foster Male Engagement in Traditionally Female Communal Roles and Occupations: Insights from Research on Gender Norms and Precarious Manhood

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