Gender in History Becoming a Mother

This book charts the history of first-time Australian motherhood across the last 75 years, drawing upon oral history interviews with a diverse group of mothers. Through thematic chapters covering pregnancy, birth, childrearing, relationships, work and identity, the book analyses change and continuity in experiences of becoming a mother since 1945. First-time motherhood radically reshapes a woman’s identity, relationships, lifestyle and body. Becoming a mother charts the diverse and complex history of Australian mothering for the first time, exposing the ways it has been both connected to and distinct from parallel developments in other industrialised societies.Through oral history interviews with a diverse cross-section of Australian mothers, the author illuminates changing maternal experiences and emotions since 1945. The book follows a woman’s journey into motherhood, examining pregnancy, birth, childrearing, relationships and support, workloads and self-identity. Each chapter carefully excavates the persistent themes in how women describe mothering alongside the shifting historical context in which mothers are embedded. Drawing upon insights from anthropology, history, psychology and sociology, the book unpacks this multifaceted rite of passage and demonstrates how maternal memories continue to influence motherhood today. Despite radical shifts in understandings of gender, care and subjectivity, becoming a mother remains one of the most personally and culturally significant moments in a woman’s life. As an innovative contribution to the multidisciplinary field of maternal studies, Becoming a mother offers critical insights into contemporary social issues including antenatal and maternity health care, perinatal mental health, maternal workforce participation, child care, parental leave and more. Becoming a mother charts the diverse and complex history of Australian mothering for the first time, exposing the ways it has been both connected to and distinct from parallel developments in other industrialised societies. In many respects, the historical context in which Australian women come to motherhood has changed dramatically since 1945. And yet examination of the memories of multiple maternal generations reveals surprising continuities in the emotions and experiences of first-time motherhood.Drawing upon interdisciplinary insights from anthropology, history, psychology and sociology, Carla Pascoe Leahy unpacks this multifaceted rite of passage through more than 60 oral history interviews, demonstrating how maternal memories continue to influence motherhood today. Despite radical shifts in understandings of gender, care and subjectivity, becoming a mother remains one of the most personally and culturally significant moments in a woman’s life.