Tian Tian, A03, Week 8 Blog

In this week's reading, Allyson talks about balancing academia and personal life in her article "Mothering is Liberation." As women working in academia, they need to not only pay attention on their stress on the work but also their partners and children. When I read the part of "guilt," I feel sorry for women. As mothers, they blame themselves for not spending enough time with their children. As educators, they blame themselves for not doing their job well. This is what happens to women in academia. Multiple responsibilities and stresses physically and mentally trap them. In the article, Allyson tells us that this kind of self-blame and guilt comes from the external definition of a woman. This society tells us what an educator should be and what a mother should be. Women are controlled and victimized by this social construct. Women need to liberate themselves.

Traditionally, raising children seemed to be all about the mother. The words, like mothering, motherhood, are entirely focusing on the relation between children and mothers. This is a kind of shackle society gives to women, and it is difficult for women to balance work and children. In reading, Allyson talks about the imbalance between home and work that she experienced as she went from giving birth to raising her children. The process is arduous. Fortunately, she finally got help from the community. She is mothering as a collective. This is an excellent idea to help female free. 

I like this article because it teaches that raising children is not a mother's job. Women need to be liberated from this prejudice and find their own value and life. At the same time, as a society, we need more organizations to help families raise children. Don't let mother do it alone.

Question: how could we eliminate the social construction of “motherhood”? Start from “parenthood”?

Citation:

Valverde, K.-L. C., & Dariotis, W. M. (2020). Fight the tower: Asian American women scholars resistance and renewal in the academy. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press.

Watson, C. (n.d.). [Digital image]. Retrieved May 18, 2020, from https://autonomy.work/portfolio/womens-work-no-pay-part-one/