Due to our societal views on pregnant women and motherhood, we have constructed opinions and theories surrounding these women that aren’t completely truthful. We do not see pregnant women as real women at all, instead, we see vessels that are being used to birth another human being into the world. Women are treated as nothing more than objects; people see the need to touch their stomachs or as too personal questions just because they feel entitled to know more about the child they are carrying. Mothers are not seen as hard working people because they are just focused on the children. These views are not only inaccurate but can be very damaging to the women involved. Iris Marion Young, author of “The Politics of Motherhood”, has many strong beliefs when it comes to pregnancy. Young wanted to write the pregnant subject into “being”, she knew that there was more to pregnant women than just they babies they carried. Young saw these women as powerful due to their materiality. Where most people see pregnant women as imprisoned by their ever growing weight, Young likes to express how these women should explore their bodies to discover their own sense of beauty. But, there is an advantage to society desexualizing the bodies of pregnant women: it helps promote self-love. For once in her life, a woman who is pregnant can step outside of our patriarchal society and see herself for what she is. In our society, a woman is only seen as a sexual object, something that a man can desire and touch. But, during pregnancy, a woman can avoid this “alienating” gaze; the looks she will receive from passersby will be ones of approval, not lust. Young seeks to separate the mind and the body, to have pregnant women take control of the power they wield and use it to empower others. Sara Ruddick, another feminist theorist, has a different take on pregnancy and motherhood. Where Young was empowering women to see themselves as strong and beautiful, Ruddick does not see anything natural when it comes to motherhood. Ruddick views motherhood as “work”; it is a job you do not get paid for. The only payment you’ll receive is producing a healthy, normal member of society. She believes that “the mother does not exist without the child”. Mothers are responsible for all aspects in their children’s lives, whether it is a defect in their growth or an accomplishment. They work to help their
