Book
Twenty-first Century Motherhood: Experience, Identity, Policy, Agency
📖 Overview
Twenty-first Century Motherhood: Experience, Identity, Policy, Agency examines the shifting landscape of contemporary motherhood through multiple academic and cultural perspectives. The book brings together research from scholars across disciplines to analyze how motherhood has evolved in response to social, economic, and technological changes.
Editor Andrea O'Reilly structures the collection around four key themes: maternal experiences, identity formation, policy impacts, and women's agency in modern mothering. The contributors explore topics ranging from digital motherhood and workplace policies to reproductive technologies and changing family structures.
The work presents motherhood as a complex intersection of personal choice, societal expectations, and institutional frameworks. Through its diverse analyses, the book reveals how mothering practices and maternal identity continue to be reshaped by forces both within and beyond women's control.
👀 Reviews
Based on available online reviews, this academic collection about contemporary motherhood appears to have limited reader feedback online.
Readers highlighted:
- Diverse perspectives on motherhood across cultures and backgrounds
- Research-backed insights into maternal identity and policy impacts
- Focus on mothers' agency rather than just their challenges
- Inclusion of non-traditional family structures
Key criticisms:
- Dense academic language makes it less accessible to general readers
- Some chapters feel disconnected from the core thesis
- High price point for academic text format
Available ratings:
Goodreads: No ratings found
Amazon: No customer reviews
Google Books: No user reviews
WorldCat: Listed in 1,352 libraries but no reader reviews
Note: This appears to be primarily used in academic settings rather than for general readership, which may explain the limited public reviews. Most discussion appears in academic journals rather than consumer review sites.
📚 Similar books
Mothering in the Third Wave by Amber E. Kinser
This collection of essays examines the intersection of feminism and motherhood through personal narratives and scholarly analysis.
The Price of Motherhood by Ann Crittenden The text presents research on the economic impact of motherhood and the devaluation of caregiving work in modern society.
Of Woman Born: Motherhood as Experience and Institution by Adrienne Rich This work combines personal memoir with feminist analysis to explore the social and political dimensions of motherhood.
The Monster Within: The Hidden Side of Motherhood by Barbara Almond The book examines maternal ambivalence and the complex psychological aspects of motherhood through clinical cases and cultural analysis.
The Cultural Contradictions of Motherhood by Sharon Hays This sociological study analyzes the competing demands placed on mothers in contemporary society and the ideology of intensive mothering.
The Price of Motherhood by Ann Crittenden The text presents research on the economic impact of motherhood and the devaluation of caregiving work in modern society.
Of Woman Born: Motherhood as Experience and Institution by Adrienne Rich This work combines personal memoir with feminist analysis to explore the social and political dimensions of motherhood.
The Monster Within: The Hidden Side of Motherhood by Barbara Almond The book examines maternal ambivalence and the complex psychological aspects of motherhood through clinical cases and cultural analysis.
The Cultural Contradictions of Motherhood by Sharon Hays This sociological study analyzes the competing demands placed on mothers in contemporary society and the ideology of intensive mothering.
🤔 Interesting facts
🌟 This groundbreaking anthology was one of the first academic works to examine how digital technology and social media have transformed modern motherhood.
📚 Editor Andrea O'Reilly coined the term "matricentric feminism" and founded the first academic organization devoted to motherhood studies (The Association for Research on Mothering).
👥 The book includes perspectives from diverse contributors across multiple continents, exploring motherhood through various cultural, racial, and socioeconomic lenses.
💪 The text challenges traditional academic approaches by combining scholarly research with personal narratives from mothers, giving voice to real-world experiences alongside theoretical analysis.
🎓 The publication helped establish Motherhood Studies as a legitimate academic discipline and is frequently used in university courses focusing on gender studies, sociology, and family dynamics.