Voices of Motherhood: A History of Maternal Activism from the Women's Co-operative Guild to Pregnant then Screwed

'Voices of Motherhood' explores the ways in which women have been politicised by their experiences of (in)fertility, pregnancy, birth and caring for children through infancy and early childhood since 1914 in the United Kingdom. It asks how a 'maternal activism' has developed, changed and evolved across the period, and to what extent this was shaped by continuity and change in the legal, societal, cultural and economic position of women.

It will explore the ways motherhood legitimised and facilitated women's claims to authority and power, and how at different times motherhood has constricted and constrained women's ability to engage in politics and public life. The project offers the first survey of motherhood as a political identity in modern Britain, and has scope to reshape our understanding of the history of women's activism in local, national and transnational forms, from 1914 to the present, using archival sources and newly-collected oral histories.

The 'Voices of Motherhood' project focuses on three main themes: fertility and pregnancy, childbirth and the postnatal period, and early childhood. Case studies of specific campaigns or movements related to these themes will be explored. These will include studies of the politics of IVF; activism around campaigns for pain relief or the right for 'choice' in childbirth; and the role of mothers in wider movements, such as in environmental groups like Extinction Rebellion or Kidical Mass.

The project will look at the impact individuals and organisations have had on the politics of maternity from 1914 to the present day, beginning with the work of the Women's Co-operative Guild, which published a moving collection of writing from working-class women on their experiences of motherhood as 'Maternity: Letters from Working Women' in 1915, to the ongoing campaigns of Pregnant Then Screwed, founded on International Women's Day in 2015. It will pay particular attention to the impact of race and social class on motherhood, as well as the experiences of single mothers, LGBT+ mothers, and mothers of children living with disabilities.

As well as offering a new history of motherhood, which sits at the intersections of women's history, political history, the history of welfare and the history of emotions, the Fellowship will encompass a public engagement project, 'Birthing Stories', which will take place in collaboration with the George Marshall Medical Museum in Worcester. Experiences of giving birth in the city of Worcester will be collected as oral histories, and used to facilitate outreach and engagement sessions within the city, which will use history to help families feel part of a community, and stimulate conversations which might help new parents feel less alone, improving well-being.