the problematics of motherhood in twentieth century women's fiction

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intervention, another section of feminists demand the
involvement of fathers too in the rearlng and upbringing of
children which, in their opinlon, would dismantle the
~nstitution. Under the institution, the token nature of
fatherhood gives a man rights and privileges over children,
slthough he assumes minlmal responsibility In the flrst
half of the twentieth century, Maxlne L. Margolls
eludlcates, "a dose of father was seen as a good antldote
for an overdose of mother, but there was never any doubt
that the responsiblllty for child care st111 lay In maternal
hands" 11984 . 58) Certain feminis:~, therefore, feel that
~f men too explore their mothering abllltles, thelr support
and co-operation can enable a shared experience of chldrearlng
Mothering, then, wculd not be a merely 'femlnlne'
actlvlty or a burden on the woman alone Exploration of the
'mother' In men would lead to an androgynous outlook,
blendlng both 'feminine' and 'masculine' tralts, deslred by
many femlnlsts According ts Nancy Chodorow and Dorsthy
Dinnersteln, women's monopoly of mothering was chiefly
responslble for their malady They call for shared
chlldrearing in ~nfancy and ch-ldhood If fathers shared In
the all-powerful role of prlmary caretaker, they argue, a
nore balanced human race mlght develop, one whose
attachments might be more flexlble and varied. Elisabeth
Badinter, In her book Mother Love. Myth and Reality, points