Ourselves As Mothers: The Universal Experience Of MotherhoodSheila Kitzinger writes with understanding of the problems facing mothers in the West today, about the pain of infertility, the struggles of working mothers, the myth of the "new man", the underrating of housework, and the ways in which women try to juggle their identities as both mothers and achievers in today's world. Citing examples from India to Jamaica, South Africa to Communist China, she reveals what motherhood means in our own and different cultures. From preparing for pregnancy to the ritualization of hospital birth, from the bonds forged between mother and child to the changes in behavior expected of women when they become mothers, Kitzinger's unique anthropological exploration enables us to reflect upon and reexamine our own rituals. Ourselves as Mothers is the most comprehensive and wide-ranging study of its kind, and an invaluable contribution to our knowledge of women and society. It is a celebration of the diversity, the ingenuity, the energy, and the courage of the great sisterhood of mothers. |
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Page 225
... social capacities are often underestimated.22 They are interested in adults , older children , and other babies long before they can say " hello , " and even before they can smile . A newborn baby will respond to and gaze at an older ...
... social capacities are often underestimated.22 They are interested in adults , older children , and other babies long before they can say " hello , " and even before they can smile . A newborn baby will respond to and gaze at an older ...
Page 239
... social anthropology I soon realized that social systems are all about male power and the way in which men organize themselves so as to own , exploit , and exchange women and children . Men are valued in terms of their work and ...
... social anthropology I soon realized that social systems are all about male power and the way in which men organize themselves so as to own , exploit , and exchange women and children . Men are valued in terms of their work and ...
Page 242
... social conditions in our own society in which women can find loving support from other women and from men , are free to be flexible in their mothering styles , can share their experiences with each other , and can grow in confidence ...
... social conditions in our own society in which women can find loving support from other women and from men , are free to be flexible in their mothering styles , can share their experiences with each other , and can grow in confidence ...
Contents
Mothers Cut to Shape | 17 |
The Empty Womb | 33 |
Experimenting with Motherhood | 63 |
Copyright | |
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abdomen adult African baby's become behavior blood body born breast-feeding ceremonies cervix cesarean section Chaim Bermant chil child child-rearing childbearing childbirth clinic couple delivered delivery doctor dren drugs emotional epidural episiotomy experience father feeding feel female fertility fetus girl give birth hands hospital household human husband important Jamaican Jewish John Bowlby kibbutz laboring woman live London look male marriage massage maternal menstruating midwifery midwives modern months mother and baby motherhood nana National Childbirth Trust never normal obstetric obstetrician oxytocin pain parents partner patient percent perineum Pethidine placenta preg pregnancy pregnant woman prenatal relationship responsibility risk ritual role sexual Sheila Kitzinger social sometimes technological things tion touch traditional cultures traditional societies treated Truby King United usually uterus vagina vitro fertilization weeks West Western wife women