THE MOTHERHOOD REPORT: How Women Feel About Being Mothers

The results of a survey of 1000 American mothers of varied backgrounds, ages, and numbers of children. Psychiatrist Generic and writer/therapist Margolies competently group and summarize their survey results, and then expand with respondents' comments as illustration on such matters as ""Why Women Want Children"" (only about one in four envisioned motherhood ""with any semblance of realism""), ""Rage and Anger,"" ""The Stages of Motherhood,"" ""Work and Family,"" and other hot topics. Results are generally as one would expect, with some mild surprises: infancy was second only to adolescence as the age mothers liked least; twice as many mothers felt their marriages changed for the worse after having children than felt their marriages improved; the ""empty nest"" syndrome was rarely experienced by this group; and the authors were unable to find any indication that a woman's work status had a major effect on her experience as a mother or on her children--what was important was if she was satisfied with what she was doing. So, no giant changes or surprises reported here. But no doubt new mothers especially will be interested in this account of others' experiences.