Louise Kaplan on social forces and the transformation of motherhood's role in child development

Louise Kaplan

Parenting then and now: effects of social forces on diminished role of parenting to healthy child development

In the book, "Oneness and separateness: from infant to individual," Louise Kaplan presented her analysis of the changes that occurred in the past century regarding the role of parenting in child development. In it, she centered her discussion on the vital role that mothers play in helping a child be developed in a healthy manner. One of the most important point that she put across was the importance of biological roots as the factor that 'tempers' the strong, yet sometimes, unhealthy influence that forces in the society have over an individual's development.

Kaplan identified these social forces as the 'educational, political, economic, and religious institutions,' forces that promote the "postindustrial mentality," which she defined as "a mentality that locates a person's most significant activity outside the home and therefore questions the possibility of self-realization through motherhood." The prevalence of the postindustrial mentality created vital implications to the role and lifestyle of women in the society. This thinking implies that women at present must not be only relegated to domestic life, of which motherhood is the primary activity that women engage in. Towards the 21st century, more women aspire to pursue a career over taking part in motherhood (or more generally, parenting). This change in the trend of parenting in the postmodern society caused a detriment in the development of children, as they experience a conflict between their "first" and "second" growths.

Take as an example the case of Kim, 30 years old, an accountant, and mother of three boys. Being a working mother, she experiences difficulty in trying to spend "quality time" with her sons while, at the same time, pursuing her dream to go up the corporate ladder while she is still young. Kim's difficulty was not felt by Claire, now in her 50s and mother of six. Claire was the 'typical mother,' devoting her time to her children, considering motherhood as profession enough for her. Thus, she did not pursue a career, for she felt that there is no greater career or profession more worthy for an individual than parenting (and in women's case, motherhood).