Social Constructions of Motherhood in Germany

Abstract

Social practices of motherhood differ in a variety of ways, depending on political circumstances, cultural traditions and histories and on individual free play, behavior, and preferences. In order to approach the question of the specific circumstances for these differing social practices of motherhood, it is necessary first to distinguish between two dimensions of motherhood, in order to pick up the trail of, as Zillah Eisenstein sees it, the myth of motherhood (Eisenstein, 1988): biological and social motherhood. In this line of argument the concept of biological motherhood is related to the special abilities of female bodies with regard to reproduction— that is, their ability to become pregnant, to bear children, and to nurse them.1 Social motherhood relates to factors like the care of children — their feeding, health, development, and education — and in this context to the value placed on compatibility of family and career as well. Arnlaug Leira sees the social construction of motherhood as anchored in two fundamental dimensions: the economic dimension (earner) and the dimension of care (career) (Leira, 1992). The economic dimension relates to the increasing integration of mothers into the national labor market, especially during the phase of active motherhood, when the children are still small. The mother with a career has become the new norm in Europe, even though the degree of activity in the work force differs widely in a comparison of Western industrialized nations.2