|
Happy Mother’s Day! To celebrate we’ve brought together our mother-focused coverage in one special newsletter.
First up, women on the 2018 ballot. So how are they negotiating their roles as mothers and community leaders? This year, with record numbers of women running for office, the answer seems to be – quite differently than in the past. As gender and politics scholar Jill Greenlee points out, mom candidates are putting motherhood front and center in their campaigns, which some evidence suggests may be a smart strategy for winning over voters today.
And Indiana University’s Richard Gunderman revisits the classic work of literature “Frankenstein” and urges us to reflect on the devastating consequences of a mother’s absence. “Perhaps,” he writes, “Victor’s creature would never had developed into a monster in the first place, if only it had enjoyed the love of a mother.”
|
Krish Vignarajah, Democratic candidate for Maryland governor, with her daughter Alana.
AP Photo/Patrick Semansky
Jill S. Greenlee, Brandeis University
In the past, running for political office and being a mother were seemingly incompatible. A scholar of gender and politics explains why times are changing.
|
Frankenstein’s monster in the Hollywood Wax Museum. The fictional character first appeared in Mary Shelley’s novel in 1818.
www.shutterstock.com
Richard Gunderman, Indiana University
By showing us a world from which mothers are largely absent, Mary Shelley reminds us that the genius of motherhood lies less in biological reproduction than in the capacity to love.
|
Health + Medicine
|
Sarah Schoppe-Sullivan, The Ohio State University
The quest to be a 'perfect' mother versus a 'good' mother may actually harm a mother’s parenting.
| |
Brenda Hussey-Gardner, University of Maryland, Baltimore; Susan Sonnenschein, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
A new program has been show to help parents of preemies use their voice to foster their premature baby’s language development. The findings are hopeful, the researchers behind the program say.
|
|
|
Economy + Business
|
Joya Misra, University of Massachusetts Amherst
Research suggests that government spending on very young children is a good investment.
| |
Joya Misra, University of Massachusetts Amherst
This penalty can amount to more than 15 percent of a mom's paycheck. Ramping up paid maternity leave and high-quality child care would probably help narrow the gap.
|
|
|
Science + Technology
|
Matthew D. Johnson, Binghamton University, State University of New York
Fall in love, have a baby, watch your happiness and satisfaction plummet. Psychology researchers know the transition to parenthood can be rough on relationships.
| |
Steven Townsend, Vanderbilt University
A chemist explains how some molecules in human breast milk help fight infection. Understanding their properties could lead to better infant formulas that share the health advantages of breastfeeding.
|
|
|
