Politicizing Motherhood

The history of female Chinese garment workers in New York and their agency in establishing adequate child-care programs, as described in Xiaolan Bao’s article, Politicizing Motherhood, resulted in a new type of mother. This mother is a woman who financially provides for her family, while still completing the domestic labor that, throughout history, has been assigned to the mother. Not only were they working mothers, but they also dedicated any free time to campaigning for day cares. It amazes me how much labor these women performed, as garment factory workers, mothers and as political activists. Although these women worked on more of a part-time basis than their husbands, I cannot help but wonder what the male role in their movement was, and if one existed. When their husbands were unable to provide for their families financially, these women took on work so ensure their families survival, in addition to the full-time job of caring for children and homes. I cannot help but question whether their husbands could have spared time to help their cause. And since I understand child care was seen as female labor, it angers me that mothers took on additional responsibilities, and when it proved impossible to effectively handle the immense workload, it was their job to find a solution, seemingly without help from their husbands. I wonder if it would have been constructive to encourage male support and engagement in the issue as to begin dissolving the gendered views of domestic and economic labor.