Who said being a woman is being a mother? Femininity(ies) and motherhood(s)

Abstract

Femininity in the Brazilian society is understood as an experience destined to going through motherhood, and this is an indispensable path for the confirmation of being a woman. Thus However, this perspective does not involve the various women, because there are women who are placed on the sidelines, from the denial of the right to the construction of motherhood. This study aims to discuss women’s motherhood(s) in the process of becoming a mother. It is a theoretical essay, since it presents theoretical contributions relating to femininity and motherhood in a critical and reflective way. It discusses the reduction of women to the motherhood sphere, the invisibility, the denial of rights, their silencing and how social markers of race, class, and gender influence society’s gaze related to motherhood and the occupation of diverse social roles. Looking to see the plurality of being a woman and the experiences of being a mother is important for the construction of a new look at motherhoods. The development of scientific studies listening to women’s narratives is pressing, to evidence the cloistering and limiting social discourses that overlaps their existence, allowing the development of public policies that are indeed transformative.