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Cited by 55Family Dynamics and RelationshipsWork-Family Balance ChallengesPhilosophy, Sociology, Political Theory

Validating social support and prioritizing maternal wellbeing: beyond intensive mothering and maternal responsibility

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Budds, Kirsty·2021·Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B
DOI 10.1098/rstb.2020.0029PMC PMC8090819
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Abstract

In this piece, I reflect on the current model of motherhood that prevails in Western countries, often termed 'intensive mothering'. I will briefly trace the history of this approach, focusing in particular on how theory from developmental psychology has, to some extent, functioned to reinforce it by foregrounding the mother-child dyad and emphasizing the importance of maternal practices for children's developmental outcomes. I will then consider the particular implications of this cultural approach to motherhood for women's experiences of motherhood and maternal wellbeing. Finally, I reiterate that we need to continue to challenge this western-centric model of motherhood, which risks both isolating and overburdening women, by highlighting the ways in which both women and children benefit from wider social support systems, yet also by making it permissible for women to access social support without compromising a 'good mother' identity. This article is part of the theme issue 'Multidisciplinary perspectives on social support and maternal-child health'.

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  • A central assumption in much motherhood scholarship is that the mother is the primary caregiver for the child(ren).

    “A central assumption in much scholarship on mothering and motherhood is that the mother (a woman) is the primary caregiver for the child(ren) (Budds, 2021;Mason, 2020).”

    From Mothers and grandmothers: <scp>Rethinking</scp> motherhood in the context of intergenerational caregiving (2025) · cites this paper as Budds, 2021

    The discussion on p. 4 says influential developmental psychology theories positioned the mother, rather than fathers or other carers, as the ideal caregiver. The paper also describes mothers as main caregivers in the UK (p. 3), but it does not establish that this is a central assumption in much motherhood scholarship generally. (LLM, conf=0.79)

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1 of the 39 references couldn’t be matched to a known paper.

Research works printed but not linked: 3

  1. [19]19. Sear R. Grandmothers, mothers and others: social support is vital for the health of mothers, fathers and children. Philosophical Transactions B. (in press).
  2. [21]21. Phoenix, A. &amp; Woollett, A. Motherhood: Social construction, politics and psychology. In: A. Phoenix, A. Woollett, &amp; E. Lloyd (eds.), Motherhood: Meanings, practices and ideologies. London. SAGE; 1991: 13-27.
  3. [25]25. Douglas SJ, Michaels MW. The Mommy Myth. New York: Free Press; 2004.

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Authors
Budds, K.
Affiliations
Leeds Beckett University (GB)
Corresponding author
Budds, Kirsty
ORCID
Budds, Kirsty
Venue
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B
Publisher
The Royal Society
Published
2021-05-03
Volume
376
Issue
1827
Pages
20200029-20200029
ISSN
  • 0962-8436 (ISSN-L)
  • 1471-2970
DOI
10.1098/rstb.2020.0029
PMC
PMC8090819
OpenAlex
W3158902854
Cited by
55
References
39
Citations by year
2026: 9 · 2025: 13 · 2024: 12 · 2023: 12 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 6
FWCI
13.00
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Leeds Beckett Repository (Leeds Beckett University) (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Demography › Family Dynamics and Relationships
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Work-Family Balance Challenges
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Philosophy, Sociology, Political Theory
Keywords
intensive mothering, maternal well-being, motherhood, social support, maternal responsibility, mother-child dyads, developmental psychology, women's experiences of motherhood, child development
MeSH terms
Maternal Health, Female, Humans, Maternal Behavior, Mothers, Social Support

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