Maternalism

Maternalism, also known as Maternal Feminism is a non-quadrant, proto-feminist ideology which believes that Women should hold an important yet different role from Men, mainly in relationship to motherhood. Her belief that women should act and be treated distinctively from men often puts her at odds with most other Feminist Ideologies

History
Maternalism first appeared in the late 19th century, it primarily arose with the belief that women were uniquely qualified for certain maternalistic jobs outside of the home, such as in medical professions and as teachers.

One could argue that government propaganda and initiatives encouraging women to have more children would be a historical example of maternalism, especially after the expansion of the British Empire after 1870, which coincided with lowering birthrates.

It should be noted that many maternalists both at the birth of the ideology and since then have not identified as feminists, due to following fundamentally different strategies and goals than the feminists of their time.

Foundations and Beliefs
Maternalism can be generally defined by the belief that men and women are "Equal but Different" (Christina Hoff Sommers) and that the sexes have distinct roles to play, this is in contrast to much of modern Feminism, whom Maternalists would argue to consider men and women identical or nearly identical in terms of capability.

Some early Feminists considered Maternal Feminism to be merely a strategy to achieve normal Feminist goals of equal rights, although some Feminists and Maternalists may disagree with this assessment.

One way which Maternalism opposes mainstream Feminism is that while Feminists both historically and presently argue that women should have a place in male dominated fields, Maternalists believe it's better that new jobs and positions be created that women are specially capable for, such as in teaching and medical fields, they similarly believe that Women have a unique role to play in political reform, many groups linked to Maternalism have supported movements such child labor laws and prison reform.

Personality
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Relationships
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Further Information
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