Abstract
Pregnancy and motherhood are increasingly subjected to surveillance. Research has highlighted that public breastfeeding is difficult to navigate within existing constructs of acceptable femininity, but at the same time, mothers who formula feed are often located within discourses of the failed maternal subject. This article draws on intergenerational research with six mother/grandmother pairs from marginalised urban Welsh locales, which involved elicitation interviews around the everyday artefacts that participants presented to symbolise their experiences of motherhood and infant care. We examine the negotiation of acceptable motherhood in relation to the intrusive policing of lifestyle choices, consumption and infant feeding from family, friends and strangers. The article argues that the moral maze of surveyed motherhood renders infant feeding a challenging, and challenged, space for women.
Highlights
Routine surveillance by health professionals has been a longstanding feature of healthcare (Foucault, 1963), and increased visibility, both actual and the potential for, results in self-regulation (Foucault, 1977)
We examine the negotiation of acceptable motherhood in relation to the intrusive policing of lifestyle choices, consumption and infant feeding from family, friends and strangers.The article argues that the moral maze of surveyed motherhood renders infant feeding a challenging, and challenged, space for women
Individual self-regulation of health behaviour is fundamental in surveillance and care of the self (Foucault, 1977, 1997), which occurs in response to perceived scrutiny by others.This is apparent in neoliberal Britain, as policy seeks to devolve responsibility for health and wellness from the government to the individual, and part of being a good citizen is accepting this responsibility through displaying appropriate behaviours (Dean, 2015)
Summary
Routine surveillance by health professionals has been a longstanding feature of healthcare (Foucault, 1963), and increased visibility, both actual and the potential for, results in self-regulation (Foucault, 1977). Despite a lack of evidence supporting the effectiveness of individual programmes, many governments have invested heavily in health promotion activities (Speller et al, 1997).Within the UK, these interventions – such as Health Action Zones (1998–2003) and Healthy Towns (2008–present) and in Wales, Communities First (2001–present) – have been targeted at areas of economic deprivation. Evidence for beneficial health impacts is mixed (Judge, 2005; Robling et al, 2016), and health promotion interventions may disempower some participants (Grant et al, 2014). It is professionals who hold the authority to judge, as in contemporary society power is everywhere and held by everyone (Foucault, 1972). Within this article we use the term ‘surveillance’ in a broad sense, ranging from the potential to be observed by others, for example, in public spaces, through to more active interventions from others, including comments or questions to the individual, which can be interpreted as value judgements
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