The Place of Motherhood in Society

The womb is quite the place. Commonly ignored as a 'place', some of the most important and pivotal parts of the development of life occur here. The tricky thing is, though, nobody remembers it. It's like this mysterious life-source place that we exist inside of for 3/4 of a year, yet have no recollections. What turns a woman into a mother? Biologically, there are some changes which occur while the womb is occupied that the woman has no control over. Yet, these things are emotional and personal - usually things we have some sort of power over.

I am attempting to capture the essence of being in the womb through literature, art, and scientific imagery. I am drawn to the interactive installations of Ernesto Neto; although I have yet to personally experience his body-based art, I am doing the best I can to understand the feel of it through aesthetic. He uses nylon, weight, smell, and the human touch. Just looking at the image below gives a person the idea of comfort or nurture related to existing inside somebody.

I came across a short article about motherhood in different parts of the world, Norway and Australia are the top two, Afghanistan at the bottom of the list, along with many other Muslim countries that discourage education for girls. A strong part of the article referred to the importance and success due to the use of mid-wives, if they are highly trained. Many men refuse to let their wives be seen by a male doctor. I am eager to address the idea that women worldwide attain some sense of maternal instincts upon pregnancy. So why should differing parts of the world place such varying importance on the womb, pregnancy, and motherhood? Another issue to be addressed is the power of the female and what happens to that power with the arrival of pregnancy or motherhood?