Becoming a mother has probably been the most accidentally political thing i have ever done’. How Australian Women Challenge Hegemonic Gender
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 16768261 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Megan Bugden (0000-0001-7120-4877, La Trobe University, corresponding author), Hayley Mckenzie (0000-0002-9871-3740, Deakin University), L Hanna (0000-0003-3173-3381, Deakin University), Melissa Graham (0000-0002-0927-0002, La Trobe University) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 41 |
| Issue | 128 |
| Pages | 1-18 |
| Publication date | 2025-12-09 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Australian Feminist Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1321-7568 • E-ISSN: 1465-3303 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/08164649.2025.2599198 |
| OpenAlex | W4417176953 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 48 |
Structures of hegemonic gender within society expect women to become mothers and adhere to intensive mothering practices. However, limited research explores how women are constrained by and challenge hegemonic gender through the institution of motherhood. Aiming to address this research gap, a descriptive phenomenological approach, drawing on in-depth interviews with 24 Australian women was implemented. Thematic analysis revealed three interrelated themes. Firstly, ‘Women’s awareness of hegemonic gender’ reflected how with age and experience women saw how gender structures within society constrained them as women. Women felt that a lack of accurate and diverse information about motherhood, non-motherhood and mothering prevented them from making informed decisions about their motherhood aspirations and for preparing for mothering. Secondly, ‘women’s sense of responsibility to achieve social change’ captured women’s desire to create a better and more equal society. Lastly, ‘how women challenged hegemonic gender’ captured women’s attempts to reclaim and counter patriarchal gender structures through calling out sexism, feminist mothering practices and creating socially supportive networks. The findings of this research draw attention to how women challenge hegemonic gender in the context of motherhood and the need for collective activism and multiple-level policy reform to achieve gender equality
Feminist Studies · Hegemony · Politics · Gender Politics and Representation · Gender, Feminism, and Media · Historical Gender and Feminism Studies
The Reproduction of Mothering
Associations between individual and collective efficacy beliefs and students' bystander behavior
Where the Millennials Will Take Us
The bystander-effect
What makes a good mother? Two decades of research reflecting social norms of motherhood
Changes in the gender structure
A qualitative analysis of beliefs about masculinity and gender socialization among U.S. mothers and fathers of school-age boys
Pronatalism and Social Exclusion in Australian Society
Unnatural’, ‘Unwomanly’, ‘Uncreditable’ and ‘Undervalued’
Subjectivities, academic work and mothering practice”
Mothering load
Who do Australian women seek social support from during the reproductive decision‐making process
Working Mothers’ Experiences in an Intensive Mothering Culture
Everyday Activism as a Dialogic Practice
From “I’m Never Having Children” to Motherhood
Hegemonic gender and Australian Women's mothering aspirations
The ideology of choice. Overstating progress and hiding injustice in the lives of young women
When no means no
Exploring the Australian policy context relating to women’s reproductive choices
Understanding the philosophical positions of classical and neopragmatists for mixed methods research
Multidimensional Gender Ideologies Across Europe
Using thematic analysis in psychology
Australian women's motherhood aspirations
Evidence of Exacerbated Gender Inequality in Child Care Obligations in Canada and Australia during the Covid-19 Pandemic
A phenomenological exploration of the childfree choice in a sample of Australian women
Motherhood Plans among Young Australian Women
Queer parents, gendered embodiment and the de-essentialisation of motherhood
"Do you have kids? Do you have kids? How many kids do you have?" the enforcement of hegemonic gender in Australian society
But why isn't it an accomplishment not to have children
To be or not to be a mother
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |