The Motherload

A Mother's Day recovery session exploring cultural perspectives of modern-day motherhood.

The Sydney Opera House today announced an all-female panel event to examine modern-day aspirational motherhood and the politics of parenting. From the dopamine highs of baby love and maternal bonding to the sleep-deprived lows of terrible tantrums, The Motherload will draw on research, personal anecdotes and revelations to examine why Australian mothers might feel time-pressed, stressed and depressed.

As bouquets brown in the post-Mother's Day wash-up, feminist icon and media commentator, Clementine Ford; Afro-Caribbean Australian writer and slam poet, Maxine Beneba Clarke; and social researcher, Dr Rebecca Huntley will untangle the rules, regulations and ridiculousness of parenting. And in a Sydney Opera House first, a free crèche will be provided for ticket holders, while parents and carers are actively encouraged to bring babes-in-arms into the venue. 

Dr Edwina Throsby, Head of Talks and Ideas at the Sydney Opera House, says: 'Parenting has never been more scrutinised, critiqued and judged. There are so many questions: Am I a helicopter parent, or is my 'free-range" approach neglecting my kids? Is it ever okay not to breastfeed? Can I work full-time and still be a loving mum? What food is good food? How much is too much screen time? And why is childcare so bloody expensive? The Motherload will explain and unpick some of the myths of parenting in a fun and intelligent way, and I'm extremely pleased to be bringing these much-needed conversations to the Opera House."

The Motherload's panel of insightful Australian women (and fierce mothers) will lead a frank and robust discussion on the seemingly intractable gender norms that intimately tether femininity to domesticity, expounding on recent census data that Australian women continue to do the lion's share of unpaid domestic work, which says nothing of the mental labour of raising children, and its effect on female employment prospects. The Motherload will examine the hard truths and cultural attitudes towards parenting in contemporary Australia, from the political framework that governs parental leave and child care, to the pressures women face to mother -correctly'. A broad range of parenting arrangements will go under the microscope: from stay-at-home and full-time working mothers; to single parent and nuclear family models (and everything in between).

The Motherload
Tickets on sale to the general public: Friday 13 April, 9:00am AEST
Tickets from $39 + booking fee
Where: Playhouse: Sydney Opera House
When: 1:00pm AEST on Sunday 20 May 2018

Free Crèche Service for this Event
12.30pm - 2.45pm
For children aged 2 - 8 years old (only)