Maternity Construct Transformation: Reasons And Factors

Abstract

The article is devoted to the study of motherhood phenomenon, which has its own physiological mechanisms, evolutionary history, etc. Motherhood is a biological, social function that ensures the reproduction of the population. At different historical periods, the attitude towards this phenomenon was not unambiguous: from the traditional perception of women solely as a source of reproduction and upbringing to the propaganda of womens reproductive freedom at the state level as an integral component of human rights. The emancipation of women, their mass “exit” from the family to the public sphere led to a fall in the birth rate, and the transformation of their views on the structure of their gender role. This process was also affected by social and economic and social and cultural changes of the last decades. A modern woman was faced with a choice between sociocentric and egocentric values. The choice of the vector of reproductive behavior is determined; most often not by traditional ideas and stereotypes of behavior, but by specific circumstances that turn out to be more significant for her than the principles of law and sexual morality. Attitude towards maternity depends on a number of factors. The way out of the crisis can be the formation of a new social orientation towards motherhood, that is, a stable predisposition towards a positive assessment of childbearing, expressed in a sequence of behavior. Raising a culture of motherhood should be a necessary step towards changing the negative effects of the transformation of this phenomenon.