Mother’s Day is celebrated the second week of May each year around the world and families give flowers, chocolates and shower gifts to mothers.
It was known to be a western celebration and culture, but slowly it spread globally.
Now, every year, this day is celebrated to pay tribute to all mothers and their contribution in our lives.
With social celebration growing every year, we often tend to forget how, as a society, we can make simple changes that can support mothers at all levels and in all settings. Being a mother comes with a lot of responsibilities, expectations and even bigger challenges.
The phenomenon of motherhood unfortunately in our types of societies has been disconnected as an identity.
If a woman is a mother, she is first a mother and then everything else. Their identity and basic human rights are compromised as soon as they enter maternity. There are many studies that talk about the difficulties of mothers and the list is long.
Especially in lower-middle-income countries, many factors contribute to the struggle of mothers. Malnutrition, cultural pressure, social stigma, inflexible working hours, expectations of acting like a superwoman and so on. But there are simple strategies/routine actions we can put in place to support mums. Thus, the question arises as to how we can support mothers:
– Focus on their health first, be it their physical health or their mental well-being. A healthy and happy mother can foster a healthy and happy family.
– Give them a respectful eye and understand that parenting and raising children is a joint endeavor and not the sole responsibility of a single parent.
– One approach is not the solution. Equity is what is needed to support mothers. Every mother has her own limitations, challenges and needs. These mothers must be accompanied according to their context and the environment in which they find themselves.
– Destigmatize the role of motherhood. In our society, there are far too many expectations of mothers, they are considered and expected to show superpowers. They are expected to perform their duties even when sick or in pain. Mothers are like all other human beings with similar physiological, biopsychological and social characteristics.
– Stop the blame game. No mother is spared in our societies. If a mother is a working mother, she has to listen to her taunts, if a mother is a housewife, she is ignored in a different way and if a mother is uneducated and lives in a village, she is challenged of his own ability. We need to end this culture of blaming mothers for children’s outcomes. They say that to raise a child, you need a whole community.
– Provide flexibility and resources. For working mothers, we can offer them flexible working hours. For people at home, we can give them space to engage in other social interactions. For the mothers in the villages who work rigorously in the fields, we must give them better nutrition.
– Educate. When a girl is born before thinking she will be a mother, think and accept that she is a human being and give her her basic right to education.
– Empathize with other women who do relatively more difficult jobs to support their families, i.e. housekeepers, factory workers, etc. to their children, like many of us.
– Build systems to support mothers, especially those who are working or want to go out and work. We increasingly need child care and learning centres. Women who work professionally or in the fields of the village contribute to the economic growth of their families and the country in general. They are one of the best human capitals who need opportunities to work, grow and contribute to their best potential.
“A mother is first a human being, then a mother. Let’s not take away their basic rights in the shadow of the rising generations’
To every mother and every member of our society who supports mothers. A very happy Mother’s Day.
