Motherhood

upright|thumb|Portrait of a woman holding her young child, upright|thumb|Statue of a mother with children at the Monumental Cemetery of Staglieno in [[Genoa]] A mother is the female parent of a child. A woman may be considered a mother by virtue of having given birth, by raising a child who may or may not be her biological offspring, or by supplying her ovum for fertilisation in the case of gestational surrogacy.

thumb|Human parents and their child A parent is either the progenitor of an offspring, or in humans, it can refer to a caregiver or legal guardian, generally called an adoptive parent or step-parent. Parents are first-degree relatives and share 50% of their genes. A female can also become a parent through surrogacy. Some parents may be adoptive parents, who nurture and raise an offspring, but are not related to the child. Orphans without adoptive parents can be raised by their grandparents or other family members.

Matriarchy is a social system in which positions of power and privilege are held by women. In a broader sense it can also extend to moral authority, social privilege, and control of property. While those definitions apply in general English, definitions specific to anthropology and feminism differ in some respects.

thumb|Emperor Pedro II of Brazil (seated) with his two sons-in-law, Princes [[Ludwig August of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Gaston of Orléans, during the Paraguayan War, 1865]] A parent-in-law is a person who has a legal affinity with another by being the parent of the other's spouse. Many cultures and legal systems impose duties and responsibilities on persons connected by this relationship. A person is a child-in-law to the parents of the spouse, who are in turn also the parents of those sibling-in-laws (if any) who are siblings of the spouse (as opposed to spouses of siblings). Together, the m

the relationship between a mother and her child

thumb|Orestes Pursued by the Furies by [[William-Adolphe Bouguereau. Orestes is tormented by the Furies for the murder of his mother Clytemnestra.]]

demographic segment

concept

Activist & Iranian mother of a victim

stock character; man who is excessively attached to his mother

thumb|A father disowning his daughter in the 1913 film ''The Jew's Christmas'' Disownment occurs when a parent, sibling, or relative renounces or no longer accepts a child or relative as a family member. It might be due to actions perceived as reprehensible or lead to severe emotional consequences. Different from giving a child up for adoption, disownment is a social and interpersonal act and may take place later in the child's life, which means that the disowned child would have to make arrangements for future care. Among other things, it implies no responsibility for future care, making it s

discredited historical theory that autistic spectrum disorders are caused by a lack of parental emotional warmth

Honorary Order of Vietnam

impact on working mothers

Maternalism is the public expression of domestic values associated with motherhood. It centers on the language of motherhood to justify women's political activities, actions and validate state or public policies. Maternalism is an extension of "empowered motherhood." It defines itself as the extension of feminine moral values of nurturance and care and the home's social caring into a larger community. Under maternalism, the mother-child relationship is essential for maintaining a healthy society. All women are seen united and defined by their ability and shared responsibility to mother all chi

mother of a child performer

international Labour Organization Convention established in 2000

sociology term; Western woman who works hard to manage multiple roles of a worker, a homemaker, a volunteer, a student, or other such time-intensive occupations

mother's ability to perceive and infer the meaning behind her infant's behavioural signals