Motherhood Project

As a subdivision of the nonprofit organization, the Institute for American Values, the Motherhood Project strives to educate and promote the renewed concept of motherhood and help mothers meet the challenges of mothering in modern society.

Enola Aird founded the Motherhood Project in 1999. In the past few years, the Motherhood Project has been actively holding group meetings of mothers, organizing symposiums discussing issues directly dealing with the welfare of mothers and children, advocating children's and mothers' rights before Congress, and conducting original research examining the relationships between motherhood and society. The Motherhood Project has become one of the most influential advocacy groups for mothers and children. The Motherhood Project is advised by the Mothers' Council, which consists of mothers of diverse backgrounds.

The relationship between advertising and children's well-being is one of the major concerns of the Motherhood Project. In 2001, it published the report, Watch Out for Children: A Mother's Statement to Advertisers, in which it accuses the advertisers of harming children by instilling values that are at odds with the values mothers try to teach their children. [Page 541]Self-control and caring for others are two examples. The report argues that all adults should watch out for children. Based on the values that mothers cherish to nurture their children, the Motherhood Project put forward a “Mother's Code for Advertisers,” which takes account of all types of advertising. The code calls for advertisers to refrain from advertising to children at schools, targeting children under the age of 8, engaging in product placement in media programs, conducting research to develop advertising and marketing aimed at children and adolescents, advertising the concepts of selfishness and instant gratification, and sponsoring programs featuring gratuitous sex or violence.

Following up on Watch Out for Children: A Mother's Statement to Advertisers, in 2004, the Motherhood Project issued A Mother's Day Report, an open letter to the advertisers and marketers. The Mothers' Council sent out 66 letters to various industry leaders to urge them to take immediate actions to improve their self-regulatory practices. In addition, the Council also calls for the Children's Advertising Review Unit (CARU) of the National Advertising Review Committee to develop new guidelines to keep up with the new trends in advertising practices, create a seal of approval for those who adhere to the guidelines, and diversify its advisory board. Many companies responded to the open letter of the Motherhood Project. Moreover, both CARU and the Entertainment Software Rating Board have agreed to consider the suggestions.

The Motherhood Project also published its Motherhood Study in May 2005, in which it surveyed more than 2,000 mothers about the attitudes, values, and concerns that they have about motherhood in contemporary society. Among other findings, the mothers in the survey expressed concern about the influence of media, in particular advertisements, on their children. In the report, the Motherhood Project encouraged all mothers to voice their views and concerns to the organization and urged the public to listen to what mothers are saying.