Mothers on the campaign trail: implications of Politicized Motherhood for women in politics

Abstract

The family, and motherhood in particular, have long been themes in American politics, but have been more prominent in the last three decades [Laurel Elder and Steven Greene. 2012. The Politics of Parenthood: Causes and Consequences of the Politicization and Polarization of the American Family. New York: SUNY Press; Jill S. Greelee 2014. The Political Consequences of Motherhood. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press]. Both parties present a traditional image of a two-parent, middle-class family, a structure that invokes notions of women in a traditional domestic role. The re-emergence of motherhood in American politics, which we refer to as Politicized Motherhood, presents challenges for women who pursue leadership positions. Like previous iterations of maternal politics that justified women's political actions during the Progressive Era, Politicized Motherhood has the potential to motivate women to run for office and to frame female candidacies in beneficial ways. Yet, it also has the potential to activ...