(M)otherhood: On the choices of being a woman

In a world where women have more choices than ever, society nevertheless continues to exert the stigma and pressures of less enlightened times when it comes to having children. We define women by whether they embrace or reject motherhood; whether they can give birth or not.Behavioural Scientist Pragya Agarwal uses her own varied experiences and choices as a woman of South-East Asian heritage to examine the broader societal, historical and scientific factors that drive how we think and talk about motherhood. She looks at how women’s bodies have been monitored and controlled through history, and how this shapes the political constructs of motherhood and womanhood now.Extremely open in its honesty and meticulously researched, (M)otherhood probes themes of infertility, childbirth and reproductive justice, and makes a powerful and urgent argument for the need to tackle society’s obsession with women’s bodies and fertility.

Reviews of (M)otherhood: On the choices of being a woman

Praise for Sway: Agarwal's diagnosis of the political harms of bias is passionate and urgent * * Guardian, Book of the Week * * An important look at one of the issues facing Western society today. This book exposes the insidiousness of unconscious bias and offers us a way to change the way we think that is practical, useful, readable and essential for the times we are living in. You need to read this book and think about the way you live and how you view others — NIKESH SHUKLA An exhaustive, brilliantly researched survey of bias and how it seeps so easily into our everyday thoughts and actions, from gender essentialism to casual racism. Calmly and without polemic, Agarwal explains why we all need to work harder to avoid lazy prejudice and simplistic narratives if we are to build a fairer society. An eye-opening book that I hope will be widely read — ANGELA SAINI Indispensable . . . A book that is challenging, fascinating and useful, and if we take notice, a book that could make us better people — ROBIN INCE