The Rules of Maternity

Becoming a mother and mattering in early 21st century Australia: An exploration of women's perinatal transitions and equity in wellbeing

“…This included learning firsthand that societal expectations of mothers can be highly demanding, contradictory and critical, particularly if women considered acting outside the narrow confines of what is considered acceptable maternal behaviour (Anderson et al, 2018;Chemaly, 2018;Gregg, 1993;T. Miller, 2017;Purvis, 2017;D. Wood, 2018).…”

“…Miller, 2007T. Miller, , 2017Purvis, 2017). Dominant societal values governing what is regarded as acceptable maternal behaviour interact with and influence other structural and intermediary factors to curtail and constrain women's decision-making autonomy which influences their perinatal wellbeing and equity in wellbeing (Anderson et al, 2018;J.…”

“…As referenced earlier, patriarchal and idealised norms of motherhood demand that women who "choose" to become mothers sacrifice themselves and their interests for their children (Chemaly, 2018;Lowe, 2016;O'Reilly, 2016;Rose, 2018). These dominant societal norms also require that pregnant women and mothers accept individualised responsibility for navigating multiple, sometimes hostile contexts, despite often having limited influence over these contexts (Anderson et al, 2018;Brunton et al, 2011;Malacrida & Boulton, 2014;Purvis, 2017;Williams Veazy, 2018). These dominant societal discourses are consistent with views expressed to Beth by her husband, "Oh, but you wanted to be a mother,"…”

“…Cultural and societal values, and their influence on women's pregnancy and childbirth transitions, wellbeing and equity in wellbeing, are often taken for granted and align with the perspective that "what is must be best" (McNeill & Reiger, 2015, p. 11). During pregnancy and childbirth, first-time mothers experienced many regulating discourses of good mothering and assumptions of contemporary Western patriarchal motherhood (Baker, 2014;O'Reilly, 2012O'Reilly, , 2016, which have also been referred to as rules of maternity (Purvis, 2017). Perhaps one of the strongest cultural expectations experienced by first-time mothers was that, as biological mothers, they were the best person to care for their baby, particularly in the early postnatal period (Anderson et al, 2018;Baker, 2014;T.…”

“…First-time mothers also largely accepted a dominant discourse that by becoming mothers, they should sacrifice themselves and their needs for their babies' interests (Chemaly, 2018;Lowe, 2016;O'Reilly, 2016;Purvis, 2017). For example, while acknowledging that this would not be easy for her, Georgia accepted that as it was her "choice" to have a child, that she would need to make sacrifices for her baby.…”