DOCSLIB.ORG

Conflicting Definitions from Welfare "Reform," Family and Criminal Law Jane C

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Conflicting Definitions from Welfare University of Baltimore Law ScholarWorks@University of Baltimore School of Law All Faculty Scholarship Faculty Scholarship 1998 Legal Images of Motherhood: Conflicting Definitions From Welfare "Reform," Family and Criminal Law Jane C. Murphy University of Baltimore School of Law, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarworks.law.ubalt.edu/all_fac Part of the Family Law Commons, and the Juvenile Law Commons Recommended Citation Legal Images of Motherhood: Conflicting Definitions From Welfare "Reform," Family and Criminal Law, 83 Cornell L. Rev. 688 (1998) This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Faculty Scholarship at ScholarWorks@University of Baltimore School of Law. It has been accepted for inclusion in All Faculty Scholarship by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks@University of Baltimore School of Law. For more information, please contact [email protected]. LEGAL IMAGES OF MOTHERHOOD: CONFLICTING DEFINITIONS FROM WELFARE "REFORM," FAMILY, AND CRIMINAL LAW Jane C. Murphyt INTRODUCTION. .. 689 I. THE "GoOD MOTHER" IN LAw: MOTHERS AS CARETAKERS. .. 692 A. Child Custody . .. .. 693 B. Child Protection Proceedings ..................., . .. 702 1. Civil Proceedings . .. 702 2. Criminal Proceedings............................. 712 a. Regulating Pregnancy. .. 713 b. Criminal Prosecution of Mothers for Child Abuse or Neglect. .. 717 c. Criminal Prosecution of Mothers for Failure to Protect. .. 719 II. THE PRESUMPTION OF EQUAI..ITY: MOTHERS AND FINANCIAL SUPPORT. .. 723 A. Child Support Laws. .. 724 B. Welfare............................................. 732 III. THE BA'ITERED WOMAN AS "BAD MOTHER" ............... 741 A. The Impact of Domestic Violence on Maternal Responsibilities..................................... 741 B. The Legal System's Response When Child and Mother Abuse Intersect: Case Studies.............. 745 1. Case Study Number 1: Mothers in Juvenile Court. .. 745 2. Case Study Number 2: Mothers as Criminal Defendants....................................... 753 t Associate Professor & Director of the Family Law Clinic, University of Baltimore School of Law, BA 1975, Boston College;J.D. 1978, New York University School of Law. 1 wish to thank Karen Czapanskiy, Cheri Wyron Levin, Barbara Babb, and Dana Shoenberg for their comments on this Article. 1 also thank Margaret May for her expert clerical assistance throughout the many stages of this project and Robin Klein, Susan Rod­ gers, Danielle Dixon, and Yolanda Sonnier for their research assistance. 1 am particularly grateful to Debra Grant for her creative and thorough research in the final stages of this Article, and to Kathleen Kennedy Townsend,J.Joseph Curran,Jr., Linda Koban, andJulie Drake, public officials and advocates whose interest and support of this project were invalu­ able. My title is inspired by the work of Martha Mahoney and Naomi Cahn who have made such significant contributions to the scholarship on battered women and motherhood. Finally, this Article is dedicated to my mother, Ellen Murphy, who, more than any laws, cases, or policies, has shaped my image of motherhood. 688 1998] LEGAL IMAGES OF MOTHERHOOD 689 3. Case Study Number 3: Mothers as Defendant in Divorce and Custody Proceedings. .. 756 CONCLUSION •••• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • . • • . • • • . • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •• 761 lNrRODUCTION Until recently, legal scholars have written very little about the sub­ ject of motherhood.! There is even confusion about how to define '~mother" under the law.2 As one commentator stated: "[W]ho is a mother no longer has a simple answer, now that genetic contribution, gestation, and stroller pushing may each be provided by a different woman."3 Despite this inattention and confusion, an analysis of the areas of family, welfare, and criminal law clearly shows whom the law rewards as a good mother.4 Judicial and legislative pronouncements about when mothers may have custody of their children, when mothers mayor must work, and with whom mothers may live are all 1 However, other disciplines, such as history, psychology, theology, and philosophy, have extensively explored motherhood for some time. See, e.g., NANCY CHODOROW, THE REPRODUCTION OF MOTHERING: PSYCHOANALYSIS AND THE SOCIOLOGY OF GENDER 9 (1978) (arguing that "women's mothering is a central and defining feature of the social organiza­ tion of gender and is implicated in the construction and reproduction of male dominance itself'); LINDA GoRDON, HEROES OF THEIR OWN LIVES: THE POLITICS AND HISTORY OF FAMILY VIOLENCE, BOSTON 1880-1960 (1988) [hereinafter GoRDON, HEROES OF THEIR OWN LIVES] (reviewing historical development of family violence); LINDA GoRDON, PITIED BUT NOT EN­ TITLED: SINGLE MOTHERS AND THE HISTORY OF WELFARE 1890-1935 (1994) [hereinafter GoRDON, PITIED BUT NOT ENTITLED]; ADRIENNE RICH, OF WOMAN BORN: MOTHERHOOD AS EXPERIENCE AND INSTITUTION (1976) (distinguishing the social institution of motherhood from the individual experience of motherhood); RUDOLF SCHAFFER, MOTHERING (1977) (exploring the psychological aspects of motherhood); JANE SWIGART, THE MYTH OF THE BAD MOTHER: THE EMOTIONAL REALiTIES OF MOTHERING (1991) (exploring the "psychology of nurturing"); Nancy J. Chodorow & Susan Contratto, The Fantasy of the Perfect Mother, in FEMINISM AND PSYCHOANALYriC THEORY 79 (1989)_ 2 One judge in a recent surrogacy opinion stated, "[W] e really have no definition of 'mother' in our law. .• [M] other was presumed to be so basic that it was without need of definition." Smith v.Jones, No. 85-532014, slip op. at 9 (Mich. Gir. Ct. Mar. 14, 1986)_ 3 Carol Sanger, M is for the Many Things, 1 S. CAL. REv. L. & WOMEN'S STUD. 15, 18 (1992). 4 Feminist legal scholars have begun to explore the subject of motherhood. These writings have generally concluded that the law stereotypes mothers and fails to take into account the different experiences of mothers. These scholars contend that the law tends to evaluate mothers according to an idealized standard requiring mothers to be all-sacrific­ ing, chaste, and selfless nurturers regardless of their circumstances. See, e.g., MARTHA ~ BERTSON FINEMAN, THE NEUTERED MOTHER, THE SEXUAL FAMILY AND OTHER TwENTIETH CENTURY TRAGEDIES (1995) [hereinafter FiNEMAN, THE NEUTERED MOTHER]; MARTHA ~ BERTSON FINEMAN, Preface to MOTHERS IN LAw: FEMINIST THEORY AND THE LEGAL REGULATION OF MOTHERHOOD, at ix, x (Martha Albertson Fineman & Isabel Karpin eds., 1995) [herein­ after MOTHERS IN LAw]; Dorothy E. Roberts, Motherhood and Crime, 79 IOWA L. REv. 95, 97- 98 (1993) [hereinafter Roberts, Motherhood and Crime]; Dorothy E. Roberts, Racism and Patriarchy in the Meaning ofMotherhood, 1 AM. U.J. GENDER & L. 1, 10-16 (1993) [hereinafter Roberts, Racism]; Dorothy E. Roberts, Unshackling Black Motherhood, 95 MICH. L. REv_ 938, 948-51 (1997) [hereinafter Roberts, Black Motherhood]; Carol Sanger, Separating from Chil­ dren, 96 COLUM. L. REv. 375, 399-409 (1996); A Symposium on Reconstructing Motherhood, 1 S. CAL. REv. L. & WOMEN'S STUD. 9 (1992)_ 690 CORNElL LAW REVIEW [Vol. 83:688 entrenched in a legal construct of ideal motherhood. The stereotype these laws embody is that of a self-sacrificing, nurturing, married, and stay-at-home mother. Adherence to this stereotype, however, assumes that mothers are equal and autonomous wage earners when the law considers mothers' economic rights and responsibilities. The primary way that the state imposes its conflicting definitions of motherhood is through its criteria for determining whether a woman has the right to raise her children and whether she has access to the means for supporting those children. An examination of the laws governing child placement, child support, and welfare reveals a series of double binds and conflicting obligations for mothers, making continued custody of children an uncertainty whenever mothers devi­ ate from the "ideal." The way mothers behave has changed dramatically in the last forty years.5 Much of family law is premised on the ideal construction of the family that presumes an arrangement that is almost nonexistent today-a mother at home with minor children and a father working outside the home.6 The law sets standards for child placement deci­ sions, however, based on a view of a mother's proper role that has changed little since the 1950s. Mothers are expected to be married, to stay at home, to be available to their children around the clock, and preferably to be both monogamous and heterosexual. The adherence to these stereotypes, however, yields to an as­ sumption of equality when the law considers mothers' economic rights and responsibilities. Contrary to women's actual experiences, the law assumes mothers enjoy both an autonomy that permits them to make choices without regard to their children's needs and an equality of economic opportunity between mothers and fathers. Two points guide the discussion of how the law defines "mother­ hood." First, any discussion of the legal regulation of motherhood must acknowledge that "good" and "bad" mothers do exist. 7 This Arti- cle's exploration of the legal definitions of those categories does not aim to eliminate them entirely, but rather, to clarify further the mean­ ing of these definitions in the law, and to test their adequacy in 5 The primary areas of change have been in patterns of work and marriage. Many more women with young children now work outside the home than ever before, and fe­ male-headed, single parent households are at an all time high. See infra note 28. 6 Since 1987,
Load more

Recommended publications
  • John SC Abbott and Self-Interested Motherhood
    Capitalizing on Mother: John S.C. Abbott and Self-interested Motherhood CAROLYN J. LAWES She who was first in the transgression, must yet be the principal earthly instrument in the restoration. ... Oh mothers! reflect upon the power your Maker has placed in your hands. There is no earthly influence to be compared with yours God has constituted you the guardians and the controllers ofthe human family. John S.C. Abbott' N THE EARLY nineteenth century, middle-class Americans rushed to rehabilitate the image of women. New England's IPuritans had castigated women as the daughters of Eve, re- sponsible for the introduction of sin into the world and the damnation of humankind.^ But Americans ofthe late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries stood this analysis upon its head: The research for this article was generously supported by a Kate B. and Hall J. Peterson Fellowship at the American Antiquarian Society. The author also wishes to thank Scott E. Casper, David J. Garrow, Julie Goodson-Lawes, T'homas G. Knoles, Sandra Pryor, Caroline F. Sloat, Elizabeth Alice White, Karin Wulf, and the anonymous readers uf the manuscript for their invaluable advice and suppon. 1. John S.C. Abbott, The Mother at Home: Or, the Principles of Maternal Duty (Boston, 1^33)' I4ÍÍ-49- The Mother at Home 'io\á more than a quarter of a million copies and went through numerous editions and printings. 2. See. far example. Mary Maples Dunn, 'Saints and Sisters: Congregational and Quaker Women in the Early Colonial Period,' in Janet Wilson James, ed.. Women in Avu-7ican Religion (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1980): 27-46; Lonna M.
    [Show full text]
  • “Becoming a Mother Is Nothing Like You See on TV!”: a Reflexive Autoethnography Exploring Dominant Cultural Ideologies of Motherhood
    MORAN, EMILY JEAN, Ph.D. “Becoming a Mother is Nothing Like You See on TV!”: A Reflexive Autoethnography Exploring Dominant Cultural Ideologies of Motherhood. (2014) Directed by Dr. Leila E. Villaverde. 348 pp. Mothers in contemporary American society are bombarded with images and stereotypes about motherhood. Dominant cultural discourses of motherhood draw from essentialist and socially constructed ideologies that are oppressive to women. This study uses autoethnographic research methods to explore the author’s experiences becoming a mother. Feminist theory is utilized to analyze the themes, the silences, and the absences in the autoethnographic stories. Using a feminist theoretical lens allows the author to deconstruct the hegemonic ideologies that shape the experience becoming a mother. I examine the role of dominant ideologies of motherhood in my own life. I explore the practices of maternal gatekeeping paying particular attention to the role of attachment theory in shaping the ideology of intensive mothering. I argue that autoethnography as a research method allows writers and readers to cross borders so long as they practice deep reflexivity and allow themselves to be vulnerable. This research is similar to Van Maanen’s (1988) confessional tale, where the researcher writes about the process that takes place behind the scenes of the research project. In this project, I write an autoethnography and then I describe the process of analysis, vulnerability, and reflexivity while examining the themes and silences within the data. “BECOMING A MOTHER IS NOTHING LIKE YOU SEE ON TV!”: A REFLEXIVE AUTOETHNOGRAPHY EXPLORING DOMINANT CULTURAL IDEOLOGIES OF MOTHERHOOD by Emily Jean Moran A Dissertation Submitted to the the Faculty of The Graduate School at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy Greensboro 2014 Approved by Leila E.
    [Show full text]
  • Motherhood in Science – How Children Change Our Academic Careers
    October 2020 Motherhood in Science – How children change our academic careers Experiences shared by the GYA Women in Science Working Group Nova Ahmed, Amal Amin, Shalini S. Arya, Mary Donnabelle Balela, Ghada Bassioni, Flavia Ferreira Pires, Ana M. González Ramos, Mimi Haryani Hassim, Roula Inglesi-Lotz, Mari-Vaughn V. Johnson, Sandeep Kaur-Ghumaan, Rym Kefi-Ben Atig, Seda Keskin, Sandra López-Vergès, Vanny Narita, Camila Ortolan Cervone, Milica Pešic, Anina Rich, Özge Yaka, Karin Carmit Yefet, Meron Zeleke Eresso Motherhood in Science Motherhood in Science Table of Contents Preface The modern scientist’s journey towards excellence is multidimensional and requires skills in balancing all the responsibilities consistently and in a timely Preface 3 manner. Even though progress has been achieved in recent times, when the Chapter 1: Introductory thoughts 5 academic is a “mother”, the roles toggle with different priorities involving ca- Section 1: Setting the scene of motherhood in science nowadays 8 reer, family and more. A professional mother working towards a deadline may Chapter 2: Why do we translate family and employment as competitive spheres? 8 change her role to a full-time mother once her child needs exclusive attention. Chapter 3: The “Problem that Has No Name”: giving voice to invisible Mothers-to-Be The experience of motherhood is challenging yet humbling as shared by eight- in academia 16 Chapter 4: Motherhood and science – who knew? 24 een women from the Women in Science Working Group of the Global Young Academy in this publication. Section 2: Balancing science and motherhood 29 Chapter 5: Motherhood: a journey of surprises 29 The decision of a woman to become a mother is rooted in a range of reasons Chapter 6: Following a schedule 32 Chapter 7: Motivation, persistence and harmony 35 – genetic, cultural, harmonic, societal, and others.
    [Show full text]
  • The Implicit Costs of Motherhood Over the Lifecycle: Cross-Cohort Evidence from Administrative Longitudinal Data
    DISCUSSION PAPER SERIES IZA DP No. 10558 The Implicit Costs of Motherhood over the Lifecycle: Cross-Cohort Evidence from Administrative Longitudinal Data Christian Neumeier Todd Sørensen Douglas Webber FEBRUARY 2017 DISCUSSION PAPER SERIES IZA DP No. 10558 The Implicit Costs of Motherhood over the Lifecycle: Cross-Cohort Evidence from Administrative Longitudinal Data Christian Neumeier University of Konstanz Todd Sørensen University of Nevada, Reno and IZA Douglas Webber Temple University and IZA FEBRUARY 2017 Any opinions expressed in this paper are those of the author(s) and not those of IZA. Research published in this series may include views on policy, but IZA takes no institutional policy positions. The IZA research network is committed to the IZA Guiding Principles of Research Integrity. The IZA Institute of Labor Economics is an independent economic research institute that conducts research in labor economics and offers evidence-based policy advice on labor market issues. Supported by the Deutsche Post Foundation, IZA runs the world’s largest network of economists, whose research aims to provide answers to the global labor market challenges of our time. Our key objective is to build bridges between academic research, policymakers and society. IZA Discussion Papers often represent preliminary work and are circulated to encourage discussion. Citation of such a paper should account for its provisional character. A revised version may be available directly from the author. IZA – Institute of Labor Economics Schaumburg-Lippe-Straße 5–9 Phone: +49-228-3894-0 53113 Bonn, Germany Email: [email protected] www.iza.org IZA DP No. 10558 FEBRUARY 2017 ABSTRACT The Implicit Costs of Motherhood over the Lifecycle: Cross-Cohort Evidence from Administrative Longitudinal Data* The explicit costs of raising a child have grown over the past several decades.
    [Show full text]
  • The Real Story Behind Millennials and the New Localism
    LOCALISM IN AMERICA Why We Should Tackle Our Big Challenges at the Local Level Localism in America WHY WE SHOULD TACKLE OUR BIG CHALLENGES AT THE LOCAL LEVEL FEBRUARY 2018 SAMUEL J. ABRAMS FREDERICK M. HESS JAY AIYER HOWARD HUSOCK KARLYN BOWMAN ANDREW P. JOHNSON WENDELL COX LEO LINBECK III ROBERT DOAR THOMAS P. MILLER RICHARD FLORIDA ELEANOR O’NEIL TORY GATTIS DOUG ROSS NATALIE GOCHNOUR ANDY SMARICK MICHAEL D. HAIS ANNE SNYDER JOHN HATFIELD MORLEY WINOGRAD EDITED BY JOEL KOTKIN AND RYAN STREETER © 2018 by the American Enterprise Institute. All rights reserved. The American Enterprise Institute (AEI) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit, 501(c)(3) educational organization and does not take institutional positions on any issues. The views expressed here are those of the author(s). Millocalists? The Real Story Behind Millennials and the New Localism Anne Snyder ocalism is more than a political movement. For But what you sense in these farmers markets is L many, particularly millennials, it also expresses an expression of a generation that, contrary to car- deep-seated cultural values that appeal to their aspi- icature, longs for a sense of empowered contribu- rations and hungers. But, insofar as politics reflects tion, meaningful community, and yes, sacrifice, too. deeper forces twitching in the social fabric—this last The upper tier of millennials—those between ages 26 election was no less emblematic, as it sent shock and 34—graduated to the tune of “Save the World!” waves through the elite power centers—more and only to find themselves starved for a sense of tangible more young people are choosing to live at a scale they impact in the spheres they can more immediately see can see and touch, grounded in a place and committed and touch.
    [Show full text]
  • On the Margins of Motherhood: Choosing to Be Child-Free in Lucie Joubert’S L’Envers Du Landau (2010)
    Women: A Cultural Review ISSN: 0957-4042 (Print) 1470-1367 (Online) Journal homepage: https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/rwcr20 On the Margins of Motherhood: Choosing to Be Child-Free in Lucie Joubert’s L’Envers du landau (2010) Julie Rodgers To cite this article: Julie Rodgers (2018) On the Margins of Motherhood: Choosing to Be Child- Free in Lucie Joubert’s L’Enversdulandau (2010), Women: A Cultural Review, 29:1, 75-96, DOI: 10.1080/09574042.2018.1425537 To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/09574042.2018.1425537 Published online: 29 Mar 2018. Submit your article to this journal Article views: 149 View related articles View Crossmark data Citing articles: 1 View citing articles Full Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at https://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?journalCode=rwcr20 w .................JULIE.............. RODGERS..................................................... On the Margins of Motherhood: Choosing to Be Child-Free in Lucie Joubert’ s L ’ Envers du landau (2010) Abstract: Voluntarily choosing not to have children is increasingly becoming a preferred life option in contemporary society. Yet there remains an inherent suspicion and pitying of women who do not follow what is still perceived, despite several waves of feminism, as their biological destiny. Such choices are considered ‘unspeakable’ by the dominant pro- natalist discourse that currently presides in western advanced-capitalist society. This article attempts to challenge and reverse prescribed beliefs about motherhood and create a textual space for those who have been denigrated for choosing not to become mothers. Keywords: French Canadian literature, Lucie Joubert, motherhood, pro-natalism, voluntary childlessness Despite the many gains of second-wave feminism over the course of the twentieth century and its endeavour to decentre motherhood from the core of the female existence, it would appear that voluntarily choosing not to become a mother is a decision with which society is uncomfortable and, moreover, refuses outright to accept as valid.
    [Show full text]
  • Postpartum Depression and the Xnedlcallcatlon of Motherhood: a Comparison of Lay and Professional Views
    Order Number 010B195 Postpartum depression and the xnedlcallcatlon of motherhood: A comparison of lay and professional views Ransdell, Lisa Lynn, Ph.D. The Ohio State University, 1990 Copyright ©1990 by RansdeU, IdeeLynn. All rights reserved. U-M-I 300 N. Zceb Rd. A nn A ibor, M I 48106 NOTE TO USERS THE ORIGINAL DOCUMENT RECEIVED BY U.M.I. CONTAINED PAGES WITH POOR PRINT. PAGES WERE FILMED AS RECEIVED. THIS REPRODUCTION IS THE BEST AVAILABLE COPY. POSTPARTUM DEPRESSION AND THE MEDI CALI 2ATI ON OF MOTHERHOOD* A COMPARISON OF LAY AND PROFESSIONAL VIEWS DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of the Ohio State University By Lisa L. Ransdell, B.A., M.A. ***** The Ohio S tate U n iv e rsity 1990 Dissertation Committee: Approved By Verta Taylor Katherine Meyer Joan Huber Adv i ser Department of Sociology Le i 1 a Rupp Virginia Richardson Copyright by Lis* L. R*n*d*l1 1990 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and foremost I owe a debt of gratitude to my adviser, Dr. Varta Taylor. Her patiant criticisms and partinant insights guidad ma through tha dissartation procass and inspirad ma throughout my graduate school caraar. Additionally I am grataful to har for inviting ma in 1984 to work on tha rasaarch projact which lad to tha dissartat ion. It was a parfact blending of my interests in sociology and my cammitments as a feminist, and tha mix will keep ma interested in this topic for a long time to coma. Second, I am grateful to tha members of my d issa rtatio n committee, Katharine Mayer, Joan Huber, L eila Rupp, and Virginia Richardson.
    [Show full text]
  • View in Pages
    news friendsofeps.org spring 2020 issue in this issue... our stories meeting the needs of our clients during uncertain times celebrating motherhood “ALL THAT I AM OR EVER HOPE TO BE, I OWE TO MY ANGEL MOTHER." ABRAHAM LINCOLN others are a true gift from God! With Mother’s Day approaching, this spring Mnewsletter is dedicated to moms - especially the beautiful mothers EPS serves every day, even amidst the pandemic. COVID-19 is presenting new and unique challenges in our service delivery, and we’re finding solutions because vulnerable women who are pregnant and in crisis need us now more than ever! The EPS staff is working tirelessly to adjust and respond to the growing levels of anxiety among our clients. In addition to the threat of the virus, abortion advocates are working to expand chemical abortion access through telemedicine to accommodate stay-at-home orders. It is critical for EPS to address these issues head on and to reach as many women as we can when they first learn they are pregnant. EPS is the life-affirming, compassionate, and loving alternative to abortion. And our Maple Village center – located next door to an abortion provider – is perfectly positioned for this battle for life. As you read this newsletter, please prayerfully consider ways to partner with us this month as we address both the abortion and COVID-19 crises. Your partnership inspires us and makes it possible for staff to keep operating on the front lines. We appreciate your generosity, and hold you close in our prayers. Best, LAURA BUDDENBERG, MS Executive Director at a glance finding solutions during a pandemic MEDICAL SERVICES || Abortions are still happening in EPS BOUTIQUE || While the EPS boutique is temporarily Nebraska despite COVID-19.
    [Show full text]
  • SCREENING MOTHERS: Representations of Motherhood in Australian Films from 1900 to 1988
    SCREENING MOTHERS: Representations of motherhood in Australian films from 1900 to 1988 CAROLINE M. PASCOE B.A. (Honours) M.A. UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy September 1998 ii The work presented in this thesis is, to the best of my knowledge and belief, original, except as acknowledged in the text. The material has not been submitted, either in whole or in part, for a degree at this or any other university. CAROLINE MYRA PASCOE iii ABSTRACT Although the position of mothers has changed considerably since the beginning of the twentieth century, an idealised notion of motherhood persists. The cinema provides a source of information about attitudes towards mothering in Australian society which is not diminished by the fact that mothers are often marginal to the narrative. While the study recognises that cinematic images are not unconditionally authoritative, it rests on the belief that films have some capacity to reflect and influence society. The films are placed in an historical context with regard to social change in Australian society, so that the images can be understood within the context of the time of the making and viewing of the films. The depictions of the mother are scrutinised with regard to her appearance, her attitude, her relationship with others and the expectations, whether explicit or implicit, of her role. Of particular significance is what happens to her during the film and whether she is punished or rewarded for her behaviour. The conclusions reached after analysis are used to challenge those ideas which assume that portrayals of motherhood are unchangeable and timeless.
    [Show full text]
  • The Culture of Post-Narcissism
    THE CULTURE OF POST-NARCISSISM The Culture of Post-Narcissism Post-teenage, Pre-midlife Singles Culture in Seinfeld, Friends, and Ally – Seinfeld in Particular MICHAEL SKOVMAND In a recent article, David P. Pierson makes a persuasive case for considering American television comedy, and sitcoms in particular, as ‘Modern Comedies of Manners’. These comedies afford a particular point of entry into contemporary mediatised negotiations of ‘civility’, i.e. how individual desires and values interface with the conventions and stand- ards of families, peer groups and society at large. The apparent triviality of subject matter and the hermetic appearance of the groups depicted may deceive the unsuspecting me- dia researcher into believing that these comedies are indeed “shows about nothing”. The following is an attempt to point to a particular range of contemporary American televi- sion comedies as sites of ongoing negotiations of behavioural anxieties within post-teen- age, pre-midlife singles culture – a culture which in many aspects seems to articulate central concerns of society as a whole. This range of comedies can also be seen, in a variety of ways, to point to new ways in which contemporary television comedy articu- lates audience relations and relations to contemporary culture as a whole. American television series embody the time-honoured American continental dicho- tomy between the West Coast and the East Coast. The West Coast – LA – signifies the Barbie dolls of Baywatch, and the overgrown high school kids of Beverly Hills 90210. On the East Coast – more specifically New York and Boston, a sophisticated tradition of television comedy has developed since the early 1980s far removed from the beach boys and girls of California.
    [Show full text]
  • Beyond Invisible Motherhood: How Women Make Decisions
    UN/ BEYOND IIrI\IISIBLE MOTHERHOOD: HOW WOMEN MAKE DECISIONS NOT TO TIAVE CHILDREN WITHIN THE PREVAILING UNDERSTA\IDINGS OF CHILDLESSNESS IN JAPA\T Yuko NAKAMURA A thesis submitted for the degree of Master of Arts Gender Studies School of Social Sciences UniversitY ofAdelaide January 2OO7 Table of Contents Table of Contents tr List of Illustrations VI Abstract UI Declaration vt[ Acknowledgments x Introduction Not childless but childfree 1 Chapter 1 Historical and political context of motherhood in Japan t2 1.1 Japanese laws governing reproduction 13 1.1.1 The pre-World War II L.I.z After World War II I.2 Movements against the Iegislation 19 I.z.L Pre-World War II 1.2.2 After World War II 1.3 Construction of the myth of three years old 25 1.3.1 Popularization of the myth of three years old 1.4 The contemporary conservative discourse on motherhood 29 1.4.L The importance of motherhood 1.4.2 Motherhood and maternal love is a universal instinct L.4.3 Feminist misunderstanding of motherhood I.4.4 The reinstatement and protection of motherhood. II Chapter 2 Japanese Feminist understanding of motherhood and childftee women 39 2.L "Maternalprotection debate" (fSf0 - 1919) 39 2.LJ Hiratsuka's argument 2.1.2 Yosano's argument 2.L.3 Yamakawa's argument 2.2 Ribu: second wave feminism in 1970s 50 2.2.7 A mother or a toilet 2.2.2 Infanticide and maternal love 2.2.3 Message from a daughter to a mother 2.3 "Ecological feminism debate" in 1985 59 2.3.L Ecological feminism 2.3.2 Can women save the world? 2.4 Feminist analysis of childfree women in 1992
    [Show full text]
  • A Mother Is a Form of Time: Gilmore Girls and the Elasticity of In-Finitude
    A Mother Is a Form of Time: Gilmore Girls and the Elasticity of In-Finitude Eugenie Brinkema That is what the time when my mother was alive before me is—History (moreover, it is the period which interests me most, historically). —Roland Barthes, Camera Lucida Repetition and recollection are the same movement, except in opposite direc- tions, for what is recollected has been, is repeated backward, whereas genuine rep- etition is recollected forward. —Søren Kierkegaard, Repetition HAHAHHA as much as i love gilmore girls..its truee.they talk wayy to fasttt and are too close lol —Anonymous Discourse, 34.1, Winter 2012, pp. 3–31. Copyright © 2013 Wayne State University Press, Detroit, Michigan 48201-1309. ISSN 1522-5321. 4 Eugenie Brinkema A Surface Preface It is true. They talk way too fast and are too close. Or, they talk their way to fast, as though speed itself were a destination. On the September 18, 2005, episode of the animated Fox series Family Guy—less series than textual machine spitting out parodic encounters with other pieces of television—a somber male voice- over announces, “We now return to Gilmore Girls” (which aired on the WB/CW network during 2000–2007) as we cut from recurring characters Lois and Brian sitting on the sofa watching television to the embedded diegetic set. There, two animated brunettes who look strikingly like one another sit on a sofa themselves, presumably in front of another television, mise en abyme. The dialogue whizzes by, attribution barely possible to one body or the other; the whole thing takes less than thirty seconds: “Mom, I need to talk to you about Dean.” “Which Dean? Howard Dean, James Dean, or Jimmy Dean?” “Too old, too dead, and too fattening.” “You don’t have to tell that to my thighs.” “Can you ask your thighs if they borrowed my Gap capris?” “They did not and they’re insulted that you’d ask such a thing.” “As insulted as Kitty Kelley when people accuse her of taking liberties with her best-selling tell-alls?” “Almost.
    [Show full text]