Philosophical Feminism and Pop Culture 3

This week’s chapter is on the confluence of reproductive politics and feminism. The authors touch base on the two present dichotomies of motherhood; one termed baby hunger and the other termed fertile myrtles. The idea is that women who are privileged enough to have and execute career goals and other social opportunities may feel pressured by society, particularly in their older years, to have a raise a child (baby hunger). Conversely, lower class women (particularly minorities) may be robbed of this opportunity as it’s believed that their reproductive abilities are far too uninhibited and in fact need to be tamed using medical or governmental intervention. This leads to the victimization of certain groups of women who are sterilized without their knowledge and typically against their will.

I personally find it fascinating that the very same act (childbirth) can be construed and interpreted so differently depending on who is birthing the child. Lower class women on government assistance may be demonized for having children, whether or not the general populace is aware of their actual ability to take care of the child or not. In addition to that, white women of lower socioeconomic classes are typically not ridiculed as much as their non-white counterparts (despite being from the same social class). There is also the issue of single parent child-rearing (often the mother) that is looked down upon in poor black homes but a wealthy white women who chooses to have children outside of marriage may be lauded for her ability to balance both motherhood and a demanding career.