Mother's Day and feminism - your thoughts, please!

[GeraldineMumsnet]

We've been asked by the Sunday Herald whether or not you can be a feminist and still celebrate Mother's Day?

Any comments you'd like to make asap please (they have a tight deadline ).

[farmerjones]

this is exactly why i dont like mumsnet anymore. its all about the media.
and at being taken over.

[elportodelgato]

I'm a feminist and I like mother's day too - where is the conflict between the 2? sorry, perhaps I'm being dim...

[morningpaper]

I hate mother's day

Most mothers probably end up cooking Sunday lunch for Grannies and random in-laws anyway

I think we should ban grandparents from mother's day

bah humbug

[doubleinstructions]

I don't see the conflict either??

[BitOfFun]

I don't see the problem with appreciating the largely unsung efforts of your mum- nothing unfeminist about that in my book. If you only do it once a year though, then that's a bit rubbish. And it always puzzles me that Father's Day is nine months beforehand- just what achievement are we meant to be celebrating there, exactly?

[farmerjones]

this would be al ovely topic to chat about, as a debate in itself. as the lazy journalists method of filling column inches, its annoying to put it mildly and well, staying polite, its excessively annoying.

if the journalist really wants to know, thenjoin mumsnet, and ask as a proper mumsnetter.

[ilovemydogandmrobama]

Shall we dump Mother's Day and celebrate Women's Day instead?

[BitOfFun]

I don't have a problem with a newspaper making the request- it's all open and aboove board. When journos have started threads as 'proper mumsnetters' and then used it as copy it feels dishonest to me. Farmer, you seem to be very upset by this- I have noticed you started a thread about it. But not everybody feels the same way, so perhaps you should just hide this and save your blood pressure?

[Itsjustafleshwound]

Are we talking about Mothering Sunday or the American/OZ /Mother's Day' which is just a random Sunday in May???

[Fennel]

I am not wild about mother's day, as a feminist, because so much of it seems to be a half-baked recognition that mothers perform too much of the daily drudgery around the house. The implication (to me) of mother's day is that we let mothers have one day a year when they can have a lie in and not have to cook or clean. I find this underwhelming.

As a feminist I expect the household chores and lie-ins and appreciation to be shared year round, as a right.
And so I don't feel a need to be feted once a year for doing too much of the housework and childcare.

[CuppaTeaJanice]

I like Mothers Day, it's lovely to be able to show your mum you appreciate her. The 'no housework' stance that I presume is the essence of this article is irrelevant to me, as chores and cooking are shared equally in our family.

I appreciate it's hard for those who have lost their mothers.

But I hate Womens Day. As if women are some sort of repressed minority that need their own special day to feel part of society. Every day is Womens Day, and Mens Day, Childrens Day etc.

[AMumInScotland]

Many mothers are feminists. Many feminists are mothers. All feminists had a mother.

I don't see anything un-feminist in celebrating Mothers Day any more than there'd be anything anti-male-equality in celebrating Fathers Day.

We can celebrate "mothers" and "mothering" both as abstract concepts, and in the physical (I won't say "concrete" that sounds rude ) form of our own mother without in any way implying that it is the main thing by which we should define women's contribution to society.

[CMOTdibbler]

I'm a feminist, but not bothered by mothers day - just as equally I'm not bothered by valentines. Both to me are 'forced' celebrations of things that should be celebrated as the mood takes you - a random M&S walnut whip from DH cos he knows I love them, but won't buy nestle ones means much more than a bunch of over priced flowers bought because he's 'supposed' to have bought them

[Remotew]

I don't see the conflict either. I am a single mum, by choice, to one DD who will be taking me out for tea and am looking forward to it. I am also a feminist in as much as I don't need a man to support or complete my family, although I like male company now and again .

[Itsjustafleshwound]

The only real link I could get from this is that Mothering Sunday is a traditionally Christian festival and the attitude of the church towards women??? And also a tentative link that it was seen as one day of a year when servants were given the time off to visit their families ...

[SlubberFailedAtLent]

Well after my overthink thread from the other day

Mothering Sunday -> thanksgiving for the mother church -> girls in service from days of yore allowed to return to their mother church ->bringing simnel cake as a traditional gift for their own mothers -> simnel cake is cake -> cake is not a feminist issue

or

Mothering Sunday -> middle sunday of lent -> only day in lent where you can cheat partake in the things of which you have given up -> lots of people give up cake -> cake is not a feminist issue

So in conclusion, yes you can be a feminist and still celebrate Mothering Sunday.

No idea about mother's day mind.

[legalityfinality]

what a joke

write about something important instead

write about the real sufferings of women around the world

sunday "journalism" is the worst