“Taking Mama Steps” Toward Authority, Alternatives, and Advocacy

Abstract

Ten years ago, the task of blending work and motherhood was arduous, lonely, and painstaking. Most settled for face-to-face interactions or phone calls to friends and family for support. Sadly, frustrated conversations are still happening due to a lack of cultural acceptance, policies, and laws focused on blending work and family life. However, some women are turning to online spaces for social support. In 1991, Donna Haraway posited that online, affinity-based groups contain the potential for activism. Buoyed by digital social media possibilities for social support, we assessed feminist activism within a motherhood support group populated by women from various countries around the world. We found that consciousness-raising can further feminist activism within an online motherhood Facebook group by helping others learn to negotiate their choices, but economic stratification and educational divides still constrain social support; this suggests that digital connections influence affinity-based identities and feminist activism.

Keywords::

• consciousness-raising
• motherhood
• Facebook
• social support
• feminism

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the incredible group of women and sisters within the “Taking Mama Steps” group. Without their continued participation, interviews, and support, our research could not occur. We also appreciate help from our academic peers (specifically, Rebecca de Souza, Kate Cady, and Mary Vavrus) who read early drafts of our manuscript. Finally, both authors would also like to thank their partners (Matthew R. Z. Anderson and Brian Hoffman) and children for supporting our work.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

^1. We are using this term of “mother” loosely in that women in the group could be mothers, women considering motherhood, mothers-to-be, or even aunts.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Wendy K.Z. Anderson

Wendy K. Z. Anderson is a lecturer at the University of Minnesota where she conducts scholarship in the areas of feminism, media, and rhetoric. E-mail: [email protected]

Kittie E. Grace

Kittie E. Grace is a full professor at Hastings College where she conducts scholarship in the areas of rhetorical sphere theory, feminism, and women's health. E-mail: [email protected]