Mother as PCG

• Introduction - Why is this a debate?

  • PCG = responsible for infants health, development and well being
  • Traditionally the expectation was of the mother to fulfill
  • Some research show the mother being imperative to normal development and others say that an emotional bond to anyone could work
• Mother as PCG for feeding purposes

  For - NHS recommend first 6 months are breastfed, provides important long term benefits such as protection from disease + the release of oxytocin - the 'love and bonding' hormone

  For - Freud believes infant rely on mother for satisfying the libido in the oral stage of psychosexual stages, a frustration leading to fixation could cause behaviour problems of smoking later in life
• Mother not as PCG for feeding purposes

  Against - Harlow found infant monkey spent 80% of day with 'cloth monkey' and less time with 'food monkey' which means that food doesn't equal love and that anyone can take on PCG as long as they provide contact

  Against - Freuds views are seen as widely outdated with them as lacking in scientific credibility
• Mother as PCG to avoid maternal deprivation

  For - Bowlbys study found that affectionless characters had greater association with maternal deprivation, 12/14 found affectionless had ties to maternal deprivation

  For - Ermish + Francesconi = children of mothers who worked full time had slower emotional development and had a lower reading and math score, the dad whether he worked or not had little impact
• Mother not as PCG to avoid maternal deprivation

  Against - A separate Bowlby study on long term impact of hospitalisation due to TB saw little behavioural impact later in life

  
  

  Against - McGinn found that daughters of working mothers enjoyed better careers, higher pay and more equal relationships, 24 countries, paid 4% more than peers
• Mother as PCG due to biological roles

  For - Oestrogen produced by mother allows for caring behaviour which is biologically adapted to be a mother

  Against - Gettler found father's testosterone levels decreased to help them respond to the child's needs
• Implications of debate

  Ethical - If mother accepted they could face discrimination in the workplace (prevention of career due to expectations or treated unfairly in application), if they do get the job they may feel guilty or seen as a 'bad mother'

  Social - Promotion for equality, Equality Act 2010 + prevention of discrimination against mother, traditional views changed with both parents being about to share 52 week leave

  Economic - 19th century saw the need for women in the workplace meant there was childcare need, £14,000 per year being needed to pay, 2014 introduced scheme to help
• Conclusions

  • Argument that mother is PCG is an outdated one with no conclusive evidence shown that it has to be a women
  • Do children need 1 or multiple PCG to gain benefits
  • Other factors may be essential in the impact/influence of children as they grow up