Gendered expectations of motherhood in abortion narratives

In my PhD project, Post-Abortion Narratives shared by Perth women (Western Australia), I investigated the process of personal decision-making within a particular social context. The narratives that the participants shared were laced with gendered expectations of ‘good mothering’ performed as ‘intensive mothering.’ This presentation explores the social pre-conditions for ‘good mothering’, and the responsibilisation of decision-making that comes to the fore in the presentation of the alternative option of abortion as the kinder solution when faced with an unplanned pregnancy.
This presentation leans into the feasibility of ‘good enough mothering’ coupled with ‘good enough fathers’, a ‘good enough state’ and a ‘good enough workplace’ to ease the pressure on women to perform the gendered expectations of ‘intensive mothering’.