Invisible Laborers: The Trials of Motherhood

After reading the work of both Rosanna Eang and Gwendolyn Mink, I was awakened to many of the harsh realities that face poverty-stricken mothers in our country today. I was astounded by the work that Eang’s mother had to carry out solely to support the well-being of her family. This woman was not only an inspiration for Eang, but for me as well. Eang’s piece was extremely moving for me because it made me think critically about my own privileged childhood. Throughout my life, my mother was able to fully be there for me every single day of the week because she not only works part-time as a doctor, but she also holds great hours. I cannot imagine not having this time with her as a child, let alone, not seeing her for an entire week like Eang had to experience.

As Mink portrays in her piece, the luxury of part-time work is not an option for single, poverty-stricken mothers. The passing of the Personal Responsibility Act in 1996 stripped poor single mothers of welfare rights, thus punishing them for making the decision to bear children. This act not only placed millions of children into destitution, but it also made impoverished single mothers the only US citizens who are required to work outside of the home. Mink illustrates how problematic this policy is for the sake of both these women and for the livelihoods of their children. She further proposes that as a society we need to change the commonly held viewpoint of the masses that the role of a stay-at-home-mother is not a form of work.

Although my mother loved spending so much time at home with my sister and me during the week, I am POSITIVE that we could be nearly impossible to deal with at times (especially during our middle-school years). My mother fully encapsulated an upper-middle class housewife in her days at home: she was required to prepare our family’s meals, she drove my sister and I to and from school and to our numerous social activities, she cleaned the house, she did the laundry, etc. In society, individuals who do such work (chefs, drivers, housekeepers) are fully paid, and yet, mothers fall to the wayside and are given no economic compensation for their care-taking roles. The future of our country lies in all children, and thus, care-giving is one of the most important jobs that anyone can undertake. Overall, as Mink states, we need to place more social and economic emphasis onto mothers so that their roles are not taken advantage of, and so that all children in our country can have the childhoods that they deserve.