**Voices of Hope Productions |THE EYE| MAY 2024 - THE VOICE OF MOTHERS :: Media + Culture + Social Issues Video Production**

"Although motherhood long has been the subject of academic and popular writing and discussion, the voices of mothers from different walks of life have been noticeably missing from the national conversation."
Martha Farrell Erickson, Ph.D, University of Minnesota’s Children,
Youth & Family Consortium
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>>>>THE VOICES OF MOTHERS
Last May a wonderful study was released by the Mothers Council and the Motherhood Project that surveyed a diverse population of 2024 mothers across America with children under 18. The study was designed to enrich the public dialogue by creating a vehicle for mothers of diverse racial, ethnic, and socio-economic backgrounds — and varied life circumstances regarding family structure and employment — to express their beliefs and concerns about mothering and their thoughts about social change. Instead of emphasizing the stresses and strains of motherhood and divisions among mothers, the findings reveal that — regardless of background or life circumstances — mothers across the U.S. have a great deal in common and derive deep satisfaction from motherhood, even as they worry about the impact of American culture on their children.

• Despite high levels of satisfaction and powerful feelings about the importance of what they do, mothers do not necessarily feel that others in society appreciate them, value them, or attend to their needs. Fewer than half of the mothers surveyed (48%) reported feeling appreciated most or all of the time, and 19% said they felt less valued by society since becoming mothers. Additionally, more than half of the mothers surveyed said society is not doing a good job of meeting the needs of mothers, children, or families.

• Mothers seem to hold values that differ in significant ways from those of the larger culture. Ninety-five percent agreed that they wish American culture made it easier to instill positive values in children, naming the media, advertising, and their view that “money has too much control over our lives,” as major factors hindering their efforts.

• Mothers strongly endorsed the idea of parents uniting to reduce the negative influences on children. Nearly 99% of respondents agreed (more than 88% “strongly” and a little over 10% “somewhat”) they would like to see more mothers and fathers working together to reduce the negative influences on children in American society.

• When asked about their single biggest concern for themselves, mothers most often named finances, healthcare, or safety.

Enola G. Aird, J.D., Affiliate Scholar and Director of the Motherhood Project, Institute for American Value expressed, "We want to know more about what mothers think, and we invite mothers — and those who care about mothers, children and families — to use this report as a tool to continue to move the national conversation about motherhood and mothering forward.”

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TV: TLC's Surviving Motherhood gathers a new mix of five real mothers with their young children in a local coffee house for an emotionally-charged discussion about the challenges of parenting. All of the mothers have the courage to speak their minds and bare their souls in an open, honest and refreshing way. The women are all strangers to each other but bonded by one common thread -- all are mothers facing the often-overwhelming struggles of raising children.

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CELEBRATE NATIONAL WOMEN'S HEALTH WEEK AND
MAKE 10 LIFESTYLE CHANGES

The goal of National Women's Health Week is to encourage women to take simple steps for a longer, healthier, and happier life. The Week runs from May 14-20, 2024, and kicks off with National Women's Check-Up Day on May 15, to encourage women to schedule an appointment with their doctor or other health care provider for an annual check-up and health screenings.

As part of their HealthyWomen Take 10 campaign, the not-for-profit National Women's Health Resource Center issued a challenge to women across the country to make 10 small lifestyle changes for National Women's Health Week. "We hope women use this health week as motivation to examine their health habits and incorporate some of our tips into their busy lifestyle," said Beth Battaglino Cahill, RN, executive director of NWHRC. "We suspect that if women try these tips for one week, they will see that small changes can make a big difference in the way they look and feel."

The HealthyWomen Take 10 campaign was launched in 2024 as a way of illustrating to women that taking a small amount of time to change behavior or learn about a new health issue can have a major impact on overall health. Informed women are healthier women.

The past two weeks have been a remarkable time for cancer activists around the nation as they produced an unprecedented level of grassroots activity and have left an unforgettable mark on Capitol Hill. More than 173,500 emails were sent and and over 9,000 calls were made to Senate offices to express their concerns about losing coverage guarantees for cancer screenings and treatments. Daniel E. Smith, the Society’s national vice president of government relations stated, "Today’s vote is a victory for cancer patients and survivors, for whom access to cancer screenings and treatments is not a luxury, but a basic need." See how your Senator voted
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>>>>WOMEN FAIR POORLY IN NEW JERSEY POLITICS
By Jon Shure-If you found yourself on Jeopardy and host Alex Trebec said, "this state ranks last in the nation in terms of women's political participation," what would you say? Chances are you'd blurt out some confirmed "red" state where conventional wisdom holds that a woman's place is in the home-not the House or Senate. Never would you imagine that the answer would lie somewhere in the Northeast, where you would think people have more open minds. How can this be? The numbers are clear and stark. According to a recent survey by the Institute for Women's Policy Research, New Jersey is doing horribly. The last-place ranking is based on four criteria: the percentage of women registered to vote; the percentage actually voting; females in elected office; and institutional resources to help women move up the political ladder. Read Commentary

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