Too many women in the U.S. experience emotional crisis due to a lack of mental health support as they steer through present-day motherhood. In the U.S., at least 1 out of every 5 new mothers experience some form of mental health challenge that makes it difficult for them to tend to their children's needs.
"Feelings of depression, compulsion or anxiety do not mean a woman is a bad mother; they also do not mean she doesn't love her baby" - Meredith Vaughn, National Alliance on Mental Illness.
Busy moms these days face multiple challenges -
- Mom guilt
- Sleep deprivation
- Work/family balance
- Caregiving
- Children with chronic illnesses and special needs
- Work discrimination
- Body image
- Sexual assault/rape culture
- Domestic violence and abuse
- Solo motherhood
What can we do?
Mental Health Services - Increase access to mental health support and professionals.
Institutional Support - Make structural and ideological changes to meet the social realities of contemporary motherhood.
Public Policy - Advocate and organize for laws that support families and gender equity.
