November 21 - December 22, 2005
Artists's Reception: Thursday, December 1st, 5:00 - 7:00 pm

For more than a generation, politicians have argued that poor women in the United States who have children – especially the ones who need public assistance – are irresponsible and selfish, are wasting public money, and make bad mothers. Public opinion polls show that a majority of Americans agree: women shouldn’t have children if they are too poor – or vulnerable in any one of a number of ways – to support kids properly. In fact, at the beginning of the 21st century, most Americans have, in one way or another, embraced the idea that motherhood is an economic status, a consumer status, even a class privilege that should be reserved for women with enough money and standing to give their children advantages.



What images and information are we missing when we come to the conclusion that motherhood should be reserved for “independent,” middle-class women? “Beggars and Choosers: Motherhood is Not a Class Privilege in America” makes the case that, in part, “reproductive rights” means claiming the right and the resources to be a mother.



Today, many politicians and others advise girls and women, “You shouldn’t become a mother until you can afford to.” But before we exclude many women from legitimate motherhood, shouldn’t we consider how poor women become poor in the United States? Shouldn’t we consider, for example, that typical hourly wages for many jobs are way too low to support a mother and child – and the fact that employers pay African-American women about 65 cents for every dollar that they pay white men for similar work – when we assess the claim that only women with funds should have babies? Shouldn’t we consider the fact that 40% of the poverty in female-headed households could be eliminated if women were paid wages comparable to the wages males earn for comparable work – when we assess the claim that only women who can afford to give their children advantages should have babies? What role do lack of educational opportunities, lack of adequate daycare, affordable housing, public transportation, and health insurance play in creating and sustaining vulnerable mothers in the United States?

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