Motherhood ; What are we celebrating? 

Syeda Tasnim Islam Zarin ।। Last year, one of my neighbours quitted her job, because she had to take care of her new-born child. Till today, everyone appreciates her for what she did, and it makes me wonder, whether the society is actually progressing or not.

Why a woman, well, let’s not say “woman” here. Why should anyone give up on their own dreams? Right? Exactly from this point, we can understand that there is no way we can avoid using the term “woman”, because the topic we are discussing is mostly, if not only, relatable to women. Let’s be real here, how many times have you heard a man giving up on his dreams to take care of his children?  The ratio is definitely higher when it comes to woman.

Now let’s talk about the elephant in the room, THE SOCIETY. Motherhood is indeed beautiful, but is it okay to over glorify it? This is exactly what society has been doing for decades. Women are often asked to quit their jobs, or simply give up on their careers to take care of their children. I personally have seen several “progressive” people, who believe that motherhood is the highest form of success for a woman, whereas, according to me, it is supposed to be just a part of life. A part, you decide whether you want to include in your life or not. There are women who do not want to have children, simply because they prioritize other things in their lives. But, the over glorification of motherhood stops those women to be vocal about their choices, because they know there will be obvious backlashes. The problem here is- society automatically links “motherhood” to women, although it, I believe, has nothing to do with gender. Anyone can be a “mother”.

Motherhood is a “choice”. There’s no reason for a woman to give up on her career for her children, and no reason for society to celebrate this. Different people make different choices. The problem occurs when we constantly celebrate some specific choices, while nullifying others. All we need to do is to be more careful about what we are celebrating, and come on, it doesn’t take much, right?

(The views and opinions expressed by the writers are those of their own and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Feminist Factor)