Work and Mothering

Social and Economic Structures

It is important to recognize that social and economic structures have a significant impact on the ways in which mothering and productive economic contributions or paid work are combined. In subsistence economies, it is often argued that different forms of work, specifically social reproduction and other forms of productive economic contributions, are less sharply distinguished than they are in contemporary industrial nations. In such economies, which predominated for much of human history and continue to exist in many parts of the world, many forms of work are undertaken in the same physical location. This means that the unpaid work of mothering can be carried out alongside other forms of labor. In nations that have moved or are moving toward industrialization, the centralization of many aspects of production (urbanization) and much greater human mobility are characteristic elements of how labor is organized and productivity gains are achieved. This change frequently introduces geographic distances between different forms of work, which generates pressure around the management of caring work for children in combination [Page 1279]with other forms of work, especially paid labor. In particular, the industrial revolution, which occurred in the 19th century in Europe, led to the concentration of production in large urban sites; carrying on mothering in these sites in combination with other forms of work was no longer possible. The rise of mechanization required the provision of care for children to be separated from the tasks of production. This shift inaugurated many changes in the ways in which employment and mothering were combined in industrializing countries. Due to a greater reliance on agrarian forms of production, more integrated work and care patterns for women persisted in developing nations for much of the 20th century. But changing conditions for global trade and growing insight into the importance of women's economic contributions have also led to significant changes in the combinations of work and mothering in developing countries.

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