Motherhood Who Needs It By Betty Rollin Analysis
Kellie Phillips
Laura Nowocin
English 1100
October 2014
“Motherhood: Who Needs It?” Reader Response
Asking who needs motherhood is a bit of an understatement, in my opinion. Instead we should go deeper into it. What needs motherhood and why? Is it people, males, females, society or the planet as a whole? In the essay “Motherhood: Who Needs It?” written by Betty Rollin in 1970, I find so many unanswered questions and issues and my goal now is to find the answers to them. What is motherhood? Why exactly do, or don’t, we need the myth? Should it even be considered a myth at all? How does it affect us in todays society? The “motherhood myth” is a little outlandish though I can see where she’s coming from. The myth, as Rollin states, …show more content…
Not everyone was brought up the same and many parents bring their daughters up to believe the exact opposite as far as having kids and starting a family goes, simply so they …show more content…
For example, it may have been relevant during the time this article was written, but in 2014 not as much. Thinking about my generation, and how teen pregnancy is something that is widely seen and widely accepted, I begin to wonder if the motherhood myth had anything to do with that. I believe that the answer is no. To most teenage girls, having babies isnt something they think they should do, nor something that they are excited about or spend their time preparing for; but having sex is. Very rare is a teenage pregnancy planned and even when it is you’re still not fully prepared. This could not only be true of teenagers but also of women of all ages, pregnancy is not always planned and just because it is on an uprising doesn’t mean that its on purpose. Another thing to consider is that Rollin’s piece was written in 1970, which was probably towards the end of the “baby boom” that the U.S. had around that time. So maybe then it was a trend to have kids, and maybe then every woman was being raised to want to have kids, to increase the population and things of that nature. In modern times though, the population is already increasing enough, and a lot of cities and states are becoming overpopulated, so having children isnt a big issue or goal for many people right now. So, the mmotherhood myht may apply in some places to some women, but certainly not all… especially in the United
Laura Nowocin
English 1100
October 2014
“Motherhood: Who Needs It?” Reader Response
Asking who needs motherhood is a bit of an understatement, in my opinion. Instead we should go deeper into it. What needs motherhood and why? Is it people, males, females, society or the planet as a whole? In the essay “Motherhood: Who Needs It?” written by Betty Rollin in 1970, I find so many unanswered questions and issues and my goal now is to find the answers to them. What is motherhood? Why exactly do, or don’t, we need the myth? Should it even be considered a myth at all? How does it affect us in todays society? The “motherhood myth” is a little outlandish though I can see where she’s coming from. The myth, as Rollin states, …show more content…
Not everyone was brought up the same and many parents bring their daughters up to believe the exact opposite as far as having kids and starting a family goes, simply so they …show more content…
For example, it may have been relevant during the time this article was written, but in 2014 not as much. Thinking about my generation, and how teen pregnancy is something that is widely seen and widely accepted, I begin to wonder if the motherhood myth had anything to do with that. I believe that the answer is no. To most teenage girls, having babies isnt something they think they should do, nor something that they are excited about or spend their time preparing for; but having sex is. Very rare is a teenage pregnancy planned and even when it is you’re still not fully prepared. This could not only be true of teenagers but also of women of all ages, pregnancy is not always planned and just because it is on an uprising doesn’t mean that its on purpose. Another thing to consider is that Rollin’s piece was written in 1970, which was probably towards the end of the “baby boom” that the U.S. had around that time. So maybe then it was a trend to have kids, and maybe then every woman was being raised to want to have kids, to increase the population and things of that nature. In modern times though, the population is already increasing enough, and a lot of cities and states are becoming overpopulated, so having children isnt a big issue or goal for many people right now. So, the mmotherhood myht may apply in some places to some women, but certainly not all… especially in the United