the problematics of motherhood in twentieth century women's fiction

CONCLUSION
Since the patriarchy commanded women to be
mothers, we had to rebel with our own polarity and
declare motherhood a reactionary cabal. Today a
new synthesis has emerged; the concept of motherright,
affirmation of a woman's chlld-bearing
and/or child-rearing when rt is a woman's
cholce It is refreshing at last to be able to '
come out of my mother-closet and yell to the world
that I love my dear wonderful delicious child.
- Robin Morgan
6.1.0. The introductory chapter made a global sumey of
the changlng attitudes towards motherhood ln the context of
the feminist movement, highlighting issues such as the
creatlon of the mystlque of motherhood by religlon / myth,
patrlarchal expectations of a mother and her reactlon to the
role, biological, psychological and soclal problems involved
In bearing and rearing children; and the increasing
difficulty in balancing motherhood and career.
It also
Introduced the authors and texts proposed for study, placlng
:hem Ln their respective cultural milieu.
6.1.1. 'Funinine Motherhood' --- the second chapter ---
focused on the manner in which patrlarchal lnstltutlons wlth
religious sanction mould women into feminlne mothers, as a
consequence of which motherhood becomes synonymous wlth
femininity. The major points of focus of this chapter were