Doesn't anyone else find it interesting how poor of a job Western society does at supporting mothers and their children?
They are literary raising the next generation who will eventually be running that same society ? Mind blowing right ?
Why doesn't society prioritize their wellbeing more and offer better support systems? When did raising children become an unimportant task?
These are all questions we need to start asking, as mother's and women. Here are a few examples of the shitty support system support society currently offers:
Maternity leave- How is the idea of going back to work after 6 weeks postpartum normal?! I know some countries are doing better...where I live you have 12 month or 18 month options. Regardless....why are we not allowing women to take all of the years prior to when their children enter School off? Why not offer subsidies to keep mothers home with their children, rather than subsidizing daycare? Or give mother's the choice? There is nothing wrong with wanting to go back to work, but I know so many mothers who dread the day they have to leave their baby with a stranger.
let's circle back to the 6 week scenario. At 6 weeks postpartum you are still bleeding and healing from birth! The idea that women should be expected to go back to the workplace while healing from birth is ludicrous. Why are we allowing society to determine that it's ok to expect that? Not to mention babies are biologically wired to want to be with their mothers. Not only is this separation a disservice to the mother, but also the baby.
Breastfeeding- Going hand in hand with maternity leave, breastfeeding is another area that is lacking support. How is a new mother supposed to feel supported breastfeeding when she is expected back to work after six weeks, or even a few months for matter? It's a new skill that takes time to learn. There is no debate that breastmilk is the ultimate nutrition for babies, so why are we not offering all the support possible, to encourage breastfeeding?
I am not referring to the moms who choose not to breastfeed or physically cannot...obviously there is nothing wrong with feeding formula. I am referring to the moms who want to breastfeed, but do not feel supported to do so. These are the moms we need to do a better job of supporting in every way possible. Even the mindset much of society has surrounding breastfeeding is problematic. We need to reach a point where a mother breastfeeding her toddler in public isn't abnormal. In fact it needs to become the norm.
1950's Mentality- It's interesting how much women's roles have changed throughout the years in our society...yet men's roles really haven't. The 1950's mentality that men should support the family and women will stay home and manage the household, no longer applies when many women find themselves holding down jobs outside the home. The mental load most mothers carry is enormous and posses so many mental health issues. We should be educating men to share the mental load equally. The current exceptions society has put on women are unsustainable.
The "inconvenience of children" mentality- This mindset needs to go too. Why is it that when a child is having a meltdown in public everyone stares at the mother like its her fault? Why is this? Another example is when a parent has to time time off work because their child is home sick. Why does society view this as a negative event? Shouldn't children be an obvious priority...again they are going to be taking care of us when we are older...shouldn't we be prioritizing their well being now?
These are just a few examples of how little support our Western society really offers mothers. These are all questions we need to start asking and conversations we should be having more of. Our children deserve to have better support when they become parents.
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