Deck 9: Mothering

Question 1

________ is a concept that includes a range of issues, such as the right to comprehensive and unbiased sex education, access to safe and reliable contraception, an end to forced sterilization and forced birth control for poor and minority women, and access to safe and legal abortion.

A) Pronatalism
B) The motherhood mystique
C) The myth of equality
D) Reproductive freedom

Answer 1

Reproductive freedom

Question 2

The Supreme Court recently gave more power to individual states to set abortion regulations. Many states have responded by

A) relaxing laws regulating abortion.
B) making it less difficult for minors but more difficult for older women to get abortions.
C) making abortion laws more restrictive.
D) sending court cases involving abortion back to the federal level.

Answer 2

making abortion laws more restrictive.

Question 3

In general, the development of new reproductive technology has

A) introduced troublesome questions of ethics, morality, power, and choice.
B) resulted in progress and an increased choice for women with regard to reproductive freedom.
C) led to a decrease in controversy surrounding the medical manipulation of women's bodies.
D) created new problems for fathers.

Answer 3

introduced troublesome questions of ethics, morality, power, and choice.

Question 4

The ideology that a mother should have infinite patience and the willingness to sacrifice herself to her children is part of the

A) Freudian fantasy of motherhood.
B) mothering mandate.
C) motherhood mystique.
D) mothering myth.

Question 5

In contrast to traditional societies, in industrialized societies, ________.

A) children are a big economic liability
B) a high birthrate is necessary to insure some children survive into adulthood
C) children are expected to support parents financially in their old age
D) children are necessary as workers

Question 6

Which of the following is a reason for the "motherhood mystique" to persist?

A) It takes men out of the running for top-level jobs.
B) It has important functions for the patriarchal status quo.
C) It is used to justify women's higher status and pay at work.
D) All of these answers are correct.

Question 7

Which statement about the effect of abortion on women is true?

A) Abortion causes serious psychological damage for most women.
B) The main psychological reaction to abortion is depression.
C) No major negative psychological impacts result from abortion.
D) The main psychological reaction to abortion is depression, and no major negative psychological impacts result from abortion.

Question 8

Identify a true statement about pronatalism.

A) It holds that people should have the right to decide if they desire a child.
B) It mandates that fathers, in addition to working mothers, should also take time off from work to help raise their children.
C) It believes that mothers should use anesthetics in order to have a pain-free childbirth.
D) It assumes that people can only lead a happy and meaningful life if they become a parent.

Question 9

As part of the motherhood mandate, the only child is stereotyped as being

A) well-adjusted, socially adept, and self-possessed.
B) selfless, nurturing, and friendly.
C) unlikable, self-centered, and unhappy.
D) happy, good-natured, and witty.

Question 10

In the context of mothering, which of the following is an ideology that assumes that having children is a natural human instinct and a normal part of heterosexual adulthood?

A) reproductive freedom
B) pronatalism
C) the motherhood mystique
D) geneticism

Question 11

In the context of abortions, identify a true statement about the Hyde Amendment.

A) It affirmed that women have a right to decide whether to terminate their pregnancies on the basis of the constitutional right to privacy.
B) It legalized the use of mifepristone in the United States to make abortions more private and easy to obtain and therefore less vulnerable to political pressure.
C) It prohibited the use of federal Medicaid money for abortions except in cases of incest, rape, and when the mother's life is medically endangered.
D) It legalized the use of tranquilizers, barbiturates, and anesthetics during childbirth for pain relief.

Question 12

Identify a true statement about the medical model of birth adopted by the United States.

A) Home births are encouraged, with minimal usage of medical procedures.
B) American women are encouraged to give birth in a familiar environment.
C) In hospital births, women give birth in the squatting position.
D) Physicians and pregnant women are encouraged to focus on possible complications that can arise.

Question 13

Which of the following is one of the myths associated with the "motherhood mystique"?

A) Motherhood is only fulfilling for women who cannot have children.
B) Women are instinctively good at caregiving and should be responsible for children.
C) Women can lead happy lives even if they are not mothers.
D) Motherhood is best combined with other roles.

Question 14

Researchers have analyzed the "motherhood mystique." Which of the following is part of that mystique?

A) Motherhood is the ultimate fulfillment of a woman.
B) Women must learn to be good mothers because it is not instinctive.
C) The best mothers are those who have stimulating outside interests.
D) All of these answers are correct.

Question 15

In the context of mothering, ________ is defined as considerable social pressure on women to have children.

A) geneticism
B) the motherhood mandate
C) pronatalism
D) the motherhood mystique

Question 16

Which of the following is included in the feminist concept of reproductive freedom?

A) the belief that having children is an individual choice
B) the right to comprehensive and unbiased sex education
C) access to safe and legal abortion
D) All of these answers are correct.

Question 17

According to Crawford, becoming a mother is a major life transition because it

A) is a kind of biological destiny for women.
B) involves changes in work, lifestyle, and relationships with significant others.
C) is pathological not to feel positive about motherhood.
D) involves changes in the physical self but not the psychological identity of women.

Question 18

The Hyde Amendment prohibits the use of federal money to pay for abortions, resulting in many poor women

A) carrying unwanted fetuses to term.
B) delaying abortions and taking the risks associated with later abortions.
C) getting illegal abortions.
D) attempting self-induced abortions.

Question 19

Which of the following statements is true of in vitro fertilization?

A) It has a high success rate and low emotional costs.
B) It causes more psychological distress than a natural pregnancy.
C) It results in less adjusted children than those conceived naturally.
D) It is advantageous as it uses no drugs that can lead to side effects.

Question 20

When women give up trying to conceive after years of fertility treatments, they feel

A) exhausted and grief-stricken.
B) tired but glad they tried everything.
C) relieved that they did not have to put forth the energy necessary to raise children.
D) a joy they associated with freedom.

Question 21

Sherrilyn and Pat plan to use the Lamaze technique during birthing. During practice, Sherrilyn will be taught how to relax so that while giving birth she

A) can conserve energy.
B) will not use drugs for pain.
C) can reduce contractions.
D) will not use drugs for pain and can reduce contractions.

Question 22

In the United States, babies are delivered by physicians, not birthed by women, reflecting the ________.

A) medical model of birth
B) androcentric model of birth
C) sociocultural model of birth
D) doctor-oriented model of birth

Question 23

In most cultures, women give birth

A) in a squatting or semi-seated position.
B) lying on their backs.
C) lying on their stomachs.
D) lying with their heads significantly lower than their feet.

Question 24

Which of the following is a routine feature of the U.S.'s medical model of childbirth?

A) Women are surrounded by family members.
B) Women are drugged.
C) Women stay in the same room late in labor.
D) All of these answers are correct.

Question 25

Which of the following is true of the Lamaze method of prepared childbirth?

A) It rules out the use of pain-relieving drugs.
B) It helps the woman in working against each uterine contraction.
C) It includes teaching women techniques of relaxation and controlled breathing.
D) It decreases feelings of self-esteem and control as it leads to a long labor.

Question 26

During pregnancy, the amount of norepinephrine in a woman's body ________ and the amount of stress-associated hormones ________.

A) increases; increases
B) increases; decreases
C) decreases; increases
D) decreases; decreases

Question 27

Postnatal depression ________ in countries such as India, China, Mexico, and Kenya.

A) is virtually unknown
B) occurs slightly less in the U.S. than
C) occurs much more in the U.S. than
D) occurs slightly more in the U.S. than

Question 28

Which of the following is an argument against a strictly biological explanation of postnatal mood disorders?

A) There is little relationship between hormone levels and mood.
B) Postnatal hormone changes are minimal.
C) Hormones do not give rise to bodily sensations.
D) None of these answers is correct.

Question 29

Results of birthing with Lamaze or similar techniques do NOT include

A) shorter labor.
B) fewer complications.
C) the amount of pain reported in "medical" births.
D) less use of anesthetics.

Question 30

Caesarean births in the United States

A) are associated with lower infant mortality.
B) have risen from about 4 percent to nearly 33 percent, possibly because of profitability to physicians.
C) are down from about half the births to about 15 percent of the births.
D) have remained steady at about half of U.S. births.

Question 31

Why do U.S. women in hospital births lie on their backs?

A) to quicken labor
B) to decrease the risk of vaginal tearing
C) for the convenience of physicians
D) All of these answers are correct.

Question 32

Pregnancy often elicits ________ because pregnant women are seen as ________.

A) resentment; wanting special treatment
B) embarrassment; extremely sexual
C) friendliness; happy with their lives
D) benevolent sexism; fragile and dependent

Question 33

As they become mothers, women

A) have no problem assimilating their new identity as mothers into their previous identities.
B) may struggle with their new identity as mothers and the loss of their old identities.
C) prefer substituting the identity of mother for previous identities.
D) prefer to deny that they have the new identity of mother.

Question 34

Which of the following is experienced by pregnant women due to the dramatic bodily changes that occur during pregnancy?

A) They feel out of control.
B) They feel free from cultural demands to be slim.
C) They feel alienated from their bodies.
D) All of these answers are correct.

Question 35

Which of the following is included in the Lamaze Method?

A) breathing techniques
B) muscle relaxation
C) a trusted "coach"
D) All of these answers are correct.

Question 36

The neurotransmitter ________, which is associated with depression in non-pregnant people, drops during pregnancy.

A) progesterone
B) norepinephrine
C) epinephrine
D) estrogen

Question 37

Which of the following is a problem associated with giving birth while lying on one's back?

A) increased pressure on the spine and slow labor
B) work against gravity, making birth more difficult for the woman
C) increased risk of vaginal tearing
D) All of these answers are correct.

Question 38

In many countries outside the United States, the dominant philosophy toward birth is

A) that childbirth is natural and women need only minimal intervention and support.
B) sociobiological.
C) medico-cultural; women need close observation and care in a hospital.
D) medical.

Question 39

Which of the following statements is true of the use of anesthetics during childbirth?

A) Anesthetics are helpful in sparing the mother unnecessary pain.
B) Anesthetics are dangerous because they can prolong labor.
C) Anesthetics are psychologically restrictive because they reduce the mother's awareness.
D) All of these answers are correct.

Question 40

Which of the following is responsible for postnatal mood disorders?

A) decrease in estrogen
B) decrease in progesterone
C) decrease in estrogen and progesterone
D) None of these answers is correct.

Question 41

What is meant by the term "reproductive freedom"?

Question 42

Which of the following is a reason women choose not to have children?

A) financial considerations and concerns about overpopulation
B) a desire to pursue education and career opportunities
C) the belief that they are not personally suited to raising and caring for children
D) All of these answers are correct.

Question 43

Women-headed households are over-represented among the poor for what reason?

A) More women than men lack education or skills.
B) More single mothers than single men live in areas in which there are few jobs.
C) Women are expected both to work outside the home and to take care of their children.
D) All of these answers are correct.

Question 44

The safe, effective, nonsurgical abortion procedure using mifepristone (formerly RU-486) has only recently become available in the United States because

A) it has been shown to cause dangerous side effects in about 10 percent of women.
B) antiabortion groups prevented legalization as they were afraid the procedure would make abortions more private and easy to obtain and therefore less vulnerable to political pressure.
C) it has been shown to cause heavy and sustained bleeding in some women after use.
D) it has been shown to cause dangerous side effects in about 10 percent of women, and it has been shown to cause heavy and sustained bleeding in some women after use.

Question 45

Which of the following has been largely overlooked in explanations of postnatal mood disorders?

A) the social situation of the mother
B) sleep deprivation
C) dissatisfaction with body size and shape
D) All of these answers are correct.

Question 46

In which of the following ways do African American women cope with single parenting?

A) by forming extended households
B) by using informal adoption
C) by relying on family members for child care
D) All of these answers are correct.

Question 47

Define and describe birth control methods, psychological consequences of abortion, attitudes about abortion, Caesarean birth, and postpartum depression (including hormonal and social influences).

Question 48

Households headed by women are

A) likely to be poor.
B) decreasing in number in the United States.
C) recognized as important family units by our society.
D) a phenomena of the inner city only.

Question 49

What are the myths about women who choose never to have children? What has research found about such women?

Question 50

Describe ways in which the government and anti-abortion advocates continue to make abortions difficult to obtain in the United States.

Question 51

Discuss the consequences of viewing childbirth as a medical event for women and infants.

Question 52

Hardships faced by lesbians with children do NOT include

A) the reaction of others.
B) economic strains.
C) the lack of supportive communities.
D) isolation.

Question 53

Which of the following is a serious consequence of adolescent motherhood?

A) interrupted education
B) lowered job opportunities
C) costs of public assistance
D) All of these answers are correct.

Question 54

Summarize research evidence on reasons why women choose to have children, reasons for remaining childless, and changing patterns of childbearing (smaller families, etc.).

Question 55

Research comparing lesbian and heterosexual mothers suggests that

A) lesbian mothers place more value on children's independence and self-sufficiency.
B) lesbian mothers see themselves as being more open and candid in general.
C) heterosexual mothers viewed girls and boys as more similar to each other.
D) parenting styles are more similar than different.

Question 56

Mifepristone (formerly RU-486) works by

A) destroying eggs that have left the ovaries.
B) sloughing off the uterine lining.
C) creating an acidic environment in the uterus so a fertilized egg cannot remain viable.
D) killing sperms, thereby preventing fertilization.

Question 57

Father involvement in parenting leads to

A) good cognitive and emotional development in children.
B) low marital satisfaction.
C) increased stress for mothers.
D) low self-esteem and satisfaction with the father's role.

Question 58

Plan B, the "morning-after pill," is not available without a prescription because

A) a Federal agency thought it would encourage women to have unprotected sex.
B) it can cause side effects that should be monitored by a physician.
C) Roe v. Wade did not cover oral medication that can be used in abortions.
D) it is not always effective, and a woman may need another dose.

Question 59

Which of the following was a factor responsible for 72 different kinds of psychological problems?

A) mothers
B) fathers
C) lack of supervision
D) overprotectiveness

Question 60

Which of the following is a difference between typical African American/Black vs. White American mothers?

A) Black women are more likely to equate motherhood with depending on a man.
B) Black women are continuing to be impacted by residuals of the United States' slave system.
C) White women are more likely to divorce.
D) All of these answers are correct.

Question 61

In the context of parenting, discuss the challenges faced by transgender parents.

Question 62

Discuss the role of the organization MomsRising in improving the lives of women and children.

Question 63

Describe the factors that may contribute to the occurrence of postpartum depression.

Question 64

It has been said that mother-blaming is like pollution-so pervasive that it often goes unnoticed. Explain this statement more fully using examples.

Question 65

What myths are included in the "motherhood mystique"?

Question 66

Discuss the medical model of birth that has been adopted by the United States.

Question 67

Discuss the implications of surrogacy and the ethical issues related to transnational surrogacy.

Question 68

What are the pros and cons of using anesthetics during labor?

Question 69

Define pronatalism. Discuss the major issues related to this ideology.

Question 70

Describe the Lamaze method and what its effects seem to be for mothers and fathers.

Question 71

How do attitudes toward pregnant women and mothers vary by class and sexual orientation?

Question 72

What are the economic and social benefits of fathers taking time off to help raise their children?

Question 73

What is in vitro fertilization? What ethical questions does this technology raise?

Question 74

Why is fathering a feminist issue?

Question 75

The meanings and consequences of adolescent childbearing depend on its cultural context. Discuss this statement more fully.

Question 76

What are additional strains on lesbian couples who have children? How are children affected by having lesbian parents?

Question 77

Discuss the policies or changes that need to be implemented in the United States that would contribute to the well-being of a family.