What do women do? Many are mothers, and while being a mother is incredibly significant, women also hold a multitude of other vital roles. In fact, women can excel in nearly any profession.
Reframing Our Perspectives
Imagine if we started learning about Presidents in this way:
What did George Washington do? He was a dad! Yes, being a dad is one of the most crucial roles a man can take on, but he also led a revolution and laid the foundation for our country. Men, after all, can do just about anything!
Yet, you’d never hear such a framing in discussions about prominent men and their achievements. In fact, when was the last time we ever downplayed a man’s potential by using the word ‘almost’? Yet, when discussing significant women, motherhood often takes center stage, even when addressing young children.
Historical Context
Interestingly, most of the women my child learned about last month—like Amelia Earhart, Clara Barton, and Susan B. Anthony—didn’t have children. Sacagawea was the only one who was raising a child during her time of fame. (While I struggle with loading my three kids into the minivan, she was traversing the rugged Pacific Northwest with a newborn. Talk about perspective!)
Maybe it’s because he was studying women without children that the curriculum felt the need to emphasize motherhood as the “most important job in the world.” Perhaps they thought non-working mothers would feel slighted, or that working mothers needed a reminder of the hierarchy of roles. (Harriet Tubman versus me packing lunches? You decide.)
The Debate on Motherhood
We seem to be preoccupied with our roles and their significance lately. Many non-working moms feel insulted by the suggestion that working moms hold higher importance, while working moms bristle at the idea that motherhood overshadows their careers. This debate is one thing on social media, but when it enters the classroom, it becomes a dangerous narrative.
Our children—boys and girls alike—should not learn that motherhood is the benchmark for measuring women’s lives. And that’s precisely the message we send when we label motherhood a job. It’s not a job; I don’t get paid for it, I can’t be fired from it, and I certainly can’t decide to leave it for something else. Sure, it’s hard work, and I whine about it like a job, but motherhood is fundamentally different. It’s time we start recognizing that.
Future Perspectives
My son often talks about growing up to be a father. Sure, it’s usually in the context of letting his future kids wear shorts in the winter, but he envisions a future as a parent. He also dreams of being the star goalkeeper for FC Barcelona. He doesn’t see them as interconnected because no one has ever mixed the two.
Maybe we—curriculum designers, social media friends, and mothers—should pay attention to this distinction.
Resources for Further Insight
For more insights on pregnancy and home insemination, check out this excellent resource from Mount Sinai. If you’re looking into artificial insemination, you can find a reliable option at Make A Mom, which offers a comprehensive at-home insemination kit. And if you’re curious about various methods of conception, don’t miss out on exploring the details at Intracervical Insemination.
Conclusion
In summary, we need to shift the conversation around motherhood away from labeling it a job. It’s a unique role that should be celebrated on its own merits.