Matrescence: On Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Motherhood

by Lucy Jones

Today, it is becoming harder to have children, with many women trying to conceive later in their lives, once they’ve established their careers. This means some women may have children in quick succession, which adds to the intensity of early-years child-rearing. At the same time, mortgages and rental costs have risen far more than wages, as has the cost of having children, increasing the pressure for caregivers to return to work, or to work more hours or at more than one job. Childcare is massively underfunded, and there is less social support than ever before. Grandparents tend to be older and may live farther away, meaning they are less able to provide day-to-day support. And the intense competition fostered by predatory capitalism has resulted in a culture of increasing busyness, presenteeism and overwork, which corrodes social relations. Urban design, transport networks, housing design and the design of roads and streets deepen the isolation of caregivers, too. Mothers have been stripped of safe public spaces for play and child-rearing, of collective care structures and public services.