Sacred, Silent, Controlled: The Politics of Motherhood | | The Personal Lens скачать в хорошем качестве

Sacred, Silent, Controlled: The Politics of Motherhood | | The Personal Lens

Motherhood is often portrayed as love, fulfilment, and destiny. But what happens when it becomes duty, discipline, and control? In this episode of The Personal Lens, we examine motherhood as a political institution, not just a personal experience. From marriage timelines and family pressure to moral policing and social surveillance, this episode asks a crucial question: Do women truly have a choice when it comes to motherhood? We explore why motherhood in Indian society is treated as a moral obligation, why voluntary childlessness is seen as an unforgivable choice, and how women are expected to perform sacrifice to earn legitimacy. The episode unpacks the hidden violence of reproductive politics—forced pregnancies, reproductive coercion, son preference, medical and state control, and the social punishment faced by women who choose abortion, surrogacy, IVF, or single motherhood. We also talk about infertility—the pain nobody talks about—how it is feminised, silenced, and turned into a private burden for women. Finally, we imagine something radical: a world where motherhood is a choice, not a mandate—where abortion is healthcare, infertility is met with compassion, and choosing not to be a mother is not a moral crime. Because when women choose freely, society doesn’t fall apart— it evolves. Do leave your reflections and thoughts at thepersonallens@gmail.com Do like subscribe and share ‘The personal Lens’ for more. REFERENCES Government of India. (2021). National Family Health Survey-5 (NFHS-5). Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. International Institute for Population Sciences. (2017). India: National Family Health Survey (NFHS-4). John, M. E. (1996). Gender and development in India, 1970–1990. Economic and Political Weekly, 31(47). Kumar, R. (1993). The History of Doing: An Illustrated Account of Movements for Women's Rights and Feminism in India. Zubaan. Menon, N. (2004). Recovering Subversion: Feminist Politics Beyond the Law. Permanent Black. National Crime Records Bureau. (2023). Crime in India Report. Ministry of Home Affairs. UNFPA. (2022). State of the World’s Population Report. United Nations Population Fund. WHO. (2021). Infertility Fact Sheet. Rich, A. (1976). Of woman born: Motherhood as experience and institution. W. W. Norton & Company. de Beauvoir, S. (2011). The second sex (C. Borde & S. Malovany-Chevallier, Trans.). Vintage Books. (Original work published 1949) Chodorow, N. (1999). The reproduction of mothering: Psychoanalysis and the sociology of gender. University of California Press. Ross, L., & Solinger, R. (2017). Reproductive justice: An introduction. University of California Press. Bhat, P. N. M., & Zavier, A. J. F. (2007). Factors influencing the use of prenatal diagnostic techniques and sex ratio at birth in India. Economic and Political Weekly, 42(24), 2292–2302. International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS). (2021). National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5), 2019–21: India. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India. Saravanan, S. (2018). A transnational feminist view on surrogacy in India. Springer. Gill, R. (2007). Gender and the media. Polity Press. Foucault, M. (1978). The history of sexuality, Volume 1: An introduction. Pantheon Books. Butler, J. (1990). Gender trouble: Feminism and the subversion of identity. Routledge. #feministpodcast #motherhood #indiansociety #podcast