THOUGHTS ON MOTHERS AND MOTHERHOOD:

A BRIEF HISTORY

Abstract

This paper explores the history of mothers and motherhood in the West, focusing on contesting the “myth of motherhood” (BADINTER, 1980). Starting from ancient Greece and figures like Demeter, the goddess of fertility, the text moves through the Middle Ages, where the image of Mary became widespread, to the Enlightenment, which saw the advent of the myth of the good mother. It then continued into the 20th century, when feminist movements advocated for less idealized motherhood, before finally arriving in the 21st century. As we seek to indicate, we have inherited a dual legacy in the 2000s: on the one hand, motherhood has increasingly become a deliberate choice rather than an unavoidable destiny, but on the other hand, many women remain haunted by the specter of the good mother.