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Motherdom:Breaking Free from Bad Science and Good Mother Myths
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Blaming, shaming and flimsy evidence: welcome to the ugly world of Good Mother myths
When Alex Bollen had her first baby, the fear of being a bad mother made her guilty and anxious about being a bad mother. A researcher with twenty years’ experience, she went looking for answers. To her surprise the studies she looked at were exaggerated and misrepresented in the media, forming the foundation for what she calls Good Mother myths. These myths are an assortment of narratives, ideologies and stereotypes, deployed to censure mothers and blame them for every societal ill.
Incensed by the way bad science is used to shame mothers, Alex Bollen decided to set the record straight. With meticulous research and keen insight, Motherdom exposes both the shaky science and unjustified prescriptions about how mothers should ‘naturally’ behave. Competing visions of birth – ‘natural’ versus ‘medical’ – mean women can be criticised whatever happens, raising the odds that birth will be a damaging, even deadly, experience. Mothers are judged and belittled whether they breast- or bottle-feed their babies. Bogus claims about brain development and dodgy attachment theories mean that whatever mothers do, it is never enough.
This has to stop. We must replace Good Mother myths with a realistic approach to parenting. Alex Bollen proposes ‘motherdom’, a more expansive conception of motherhood, which values and respects the different ways people raise their children. Instead of finding fault with mothers, motherdom shifts our focus to the relationships and resources children need to flourish.
Reviews
Such a welcome contribution to the raging debates that surround contemporary parenting. Bollen takes a forensic look at the evidence used to promote particular parenting practices (around birth, breastfeeding or attachment more generally) and shows how shaky much of the 'brain-boosting' science it rests on really is. In its place, she proposes a new way of understanding and supporting motherhood; an intersectionally informed, non-didactic appreciation of the diversity in maternal experiences, that is deeply social at heart: Motherdom. Clearly and engagingly written, I recommend this to researchers and new mothers alike.
In this passionate and persuasive book, Alex Bollen tells the story of how bad science has affected generations of mothers. This is essential reading for anyone interested in how research should – and shouldn’t – be used.'
A thought-provoking exploration of the often unrealistic expectations placed upon mothers. Alex Bollen provides a meticulously researched critique of the evidence underpinning common parenting advice by exploring the history and science of motherhood and exposing the myths and pseudoscience that contribute to maternal anxiety and guilt across cultures. This powerful book will resonate with anyone who is navigating, or has navigated, the complexities of parenthood.'