Abstract
The Royal Commission onHuman Relationships was an initiative of the Whitlam government, instigated in 1974 to investigate 'the family, social, educational, legal and sexual aspects of male and female relationships', with particular attention to the concept of 'responsible parenthood'. The Commission heard evidence from thousands of Australians on a broad range of topics, and given the Royal Commission's origins in the 1973 Federal Parliamentary debate over abortion, it is perhaps unsurprising that motherhood featured so prominently in submissions presented to the Commission. In this article it is argued that mothers' submissions to the Royal Commission on Human Relationships reveal the ways that social and cultural meanings of motherhood were being contested in 1970s Australia. Rather than making claims for rights in the established language of maternal citizenship, many women deployed their private experiences of mothering to argue that the state should facilitate their access to both paid employment and time away from mothering. These mothers argued for equal citizenship rights, challenging the reproductive compact that had long been central to maternal citizenship. The submissions reveal the ways that mothers (and their critics) drew upon both new and old meanings of motherhood to articulate new cultural and political possibilities for motherhood and citizenship in 1970s Australia.
| Language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages | 320-336 |
| Number of pages | 17 |
| Journal | Women's History Review |
| Volume | 25 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 3 Mar 2016 |
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'Everyone needs a holiday from work, why not mothers?' Motherhood, Feminism and Citizenship at the Australian Royal Commission on Human Relationships, 1974-1977. / Arrow, Michelle.
In: Women's History Review, Vol. 25, No. 2, 03.03.2016, p. 320-336.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
TY - JOUR
T1 - 'Everyone needs a holiday from work, why not mothers?' Motherhood, Feminism and Citizenship at the Australian Royal Commission on Human Relationships, 1974-1977
AU - Arrow, Michelle
PY - 2016/3/3
Y1 - 2016/3/3
N2 - The Royal Commission onHuman Relationships was an initiative of the Whitlam government, instigated in 1974 to investigate 'the family, social, educational, legal and sexual aspects of male and female relationships', with particular attention to the concept of 'responsible parenthood'. The Commission heard evidence from thousands of Australians on a broad range of topics, and given the Royal Commission's origins in the 1973 Federal Parliamentary debate over abortion, it is perhaps unsurprising that motherhood featured so prominently in submissions presented to the Commission. In this article it is argued that mothers' submissions to the Royal Commission on Human Relationships reveal the ways that social and cultural meanings of motherhood were being contested in 1970s Australia. Rather than making claims for rights in the established language of maternal citizenship, many women deployed their private experiences of mothering to argue that the state should facilitate their access to both paid employment and time away from mothering. These mothers argued for equal citizenship rights, challenging the reproductive compact that had long been central to maternal citizenship. The submissions reveal the ways that mothers (and their critics) drew upon both new and old meanings of motherhood to articulate new cultural and political possibilities for motherhood and citizenship in 1970s Australia.
AB - The Royal Commission onHuman Relationships was an initiative of the Whitlam government, instigated in 1974 to investigate 'the family, social, educational, legal and sexual aspects of male and female relationships', with particular attention to the concept of 'responsible parenthood'. The Commission heard evidence from thousands of Australians on a broad range of topics, and given the Royal Commission's origins in the 1973 Federal Parliamentary debate over abortion, it is perhaps unsurprising that motherhood featured so prominently in submissions presented to the Commission. In this article it is argued that mothers' submissions to the Royal Commission on Human Relationships reveal the ways that social and cultural meanings of motherhood were being contested in 1970s Australia. Rather than making claims for rights in the established language of maternal citizenship, many women deployed their private experiences of mothering to argue that the state should facilitate their access to both paid employment and time away from mothering. These mothers argued for equal citizenship rights, challenging the reproductive compact that had long been central to maternal citizenship. The submissions reveal the ways that mothers (and their critics) drew upon both new and old meanings of motherhood to articulate new cultural and political possibilities for motherhood and citizenship in 1970s Australia.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84945151524&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/09612025.2015.1083225
DO - 10.1080/09612025.2015.1083225
M3 - Article
VL - 25
SP - 320
EP - 336
JO - Women's History Review
T2 - Women's History Review
JF - Women's History Review
SN - 0961-2025
IS - 2
ER -