Matroreform: Evolving to a “New” Motherhood”

Abstract

“New” motherhood is initiated through everyday maternal practices and evolves motherhood at its most fundamental level. In a process called matroreform, women unwittingly and/or intentionally choose what they do and do not want to replicate from their own experience of being mothered. From a broader perspective, how we enact mothering and who we are as mothers indicates and represents acceptable and non-acceptable motherhood practices to ourselves and to society. The term matroreform was coined by feminist maternal scholar, Dr. Gina Wong. It is a transformative maternal practice and is “an act, desire, and process of claiming motherhood power … a progressive movement to mothering that attempts to institute new mothering rules and practices apart from one’s motherline” (Wong-Wylie, p. 135, 2006). Preliminary qualitative research data will demonstrate how mothers reform motherhood. This presentation will explore ideas and generate discussion on a ‘new’ motherhood.