Phyllis Schlafly's Social Policies - Motherhood

Motherhood

Though a woman should be able to expand her talents and “join the competitive world” if she desires, her primary role, according to Schlafly, should be that of wife and mother, of homemaker rather than career woman. Her stance is summarized by Susan E. Marshall in an article on anti-feminists, who states, “Females are uniquely suited for their domestic duties of home maintenance and child care, and conversely the domination of the public sphere by males is justified by their inherently superior aggressive, analytical, and logical abilities”.

Schlafly also believes that motherhood is crucial to the well being of society; she states, “The career of motherhood is not recorded or compensated in cash wages in government statistics, but that doesn’t make it any less valuable"; in fact, just the opposite is true: “ is the most socially useful role of all”. Schlafly’s view contrasts directly with what she claims is the pro-ERA feminist perspective that caring for children and a husband is demeaning, and that women should not have to be directly responsible for their children if they desire to instead pursue a career. Instead, “the dependent wife and mother who cares for her own children…performs the most socially necessary role in our society. The future of America depends on our next generation being morally, psychologically, intellectually, and physically strong”.

Feminists have criticized Schlafly for this stance, claiming that her “‘pro-life’ and ‘pro-family’ ideology represent the urge to restore the values of motherhood as they haven’t been propagated since the late eighteenth century”. Schlafly, however, stands firm that woman’s main role should be that of a mother, even in this modern century; she states, “Marriage and motherhood have their trials and tribulations, but what lifestyle doesn’t?...The flight from home is a flight from self, from responsibility, from the nature of woman, in pursuit of false hopes and fading fantasies”.