The answer is of course we still need to recognise the amazing work that mothers and women do for the whole of society. But how can we utilise this celebration of women to actually initiate a change in attitudes? 

Unpaid workload 

It will be no shock to many that much of the work that mothers do is unpaid work — with it being estimated that globally women take on 3 times more unpaid work than men. This includes cooking, cleaning, caring for dependents and other often undervalued work. 

This works out at a shocking 4 additional years of a woman’s life spent working than men. 

This doesn’t have to be a bad thing

While these figures are shocking, they don’t have to be a ‘bad’ thing. Economic gain for working is not the only value we should consider. Work that many women do for ‘free’ often has a multitude of benefits including: emotional support, mental wellbeing, hygiene, wellness, family bonding, and so much more. Such emotional and domestic labour is absolutely vital in the functioning of our society (and arguably makes life a whole lot more worth living)!  

Many western societies in particular are geared towards whatever earns the most money as being the ‘best’ route and a ‘good’ way to spend your time. So, Mother’s Day can really present an opportunity for us as a whole to reposition our attitudes towards the work that many women do. Of course, one day is not going to fix this issue that stems from how we as a society function — however, considering the ways in which you can add value to yours and others lives through non-monetary means is something ScreenMe believes society could do a whole lot more with! 

Being a mother is not a sign of disempowerment

This recalculating of ‘wealth’ as meaning more than financial gain also brings us to our view of ‘empowerment’. 

For many years the image of a empowered” woman, has been one who has at least in part assumed the characteristics of a male — often being imagined as being in financial services/business, in a dark suit, childless, rich, strong, …. The list goes on. 

And the answer is yes, this is the image of an empowered woman. But also, the image of a stay-at-home mother, an artist, a teacher, and any woman who has the power to CHOOSE what she wants to do, should be what we think of when we think of female empowerment”. 

Therefore, we hope that as Mother’s Day reinstates the importance of the inspirational and amazing work done every day by mothers globally — we hope that this can allow us to recalibrate what it means to be a successful” woman, and what it means to do valuable” work. 

Jessica Hobbis