A Woman’s Work: Reclaiming the Radical History of Mothering
United Kingdom

A Woman’s Work: Reclaiming the Radical History of Mothering

by Elinor Cleghorn

Motherhood Non-Fiction History Essays 2026

Summary

Motherhood has shaped human history, yet the women who have raised children, challenged injustice, and fought for reproductive freedom have often been written out of it. From ancient childbirth rituals to the struggles of unmarried mothers in seventeenth-century England, Elinor Cleghorn traces the lives of women who resisted society’s attempts to control their bodies and define their roles. Through the stories of midwives, writers, activists, and community leaders, she reveals how mothering has always been an act of labour, resistance, and transformation. Reclaiming motherhood as more than a biological function or private responsibility, this compelling history challenges the patriarchal systems that have devalued women’s work and asks what it would mean to finally recognize and support the people who care for others.

Reviews

Login to leave a review.

No reviews yet. Be the first!

You might also like

The End of the World Is a Cul de Sac
The End of the World Is a Cul de Sac
Louise Kennedy
Stations
Stations
Louise Kennedy
Trespasses
Trespasses
Louise Kennedy
Willow Trees Don't Weep
Willow Trees Don't Weep
Fadia Faqir
Country
United Kingdom
Europe
About the author
Elinor Cleghorn
Elinor Cleghorn

Elinor Cleghorn is a British feminist cultural historian, writer, and researcher whose work explores women’s bodies, healthcare, and the historical forces that have shaped women’s lives. She holds a PhD in humanities and cultural studies and spent three years as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Oxford’s Ruskin School of Art, working on an interdisciplinary project connecting art and medical humanities. Her writing on women’s health and its history has appeared in publications including The Wall Street Journal, BBC History, New Scientist, and Vogue. She has also discussed her research on BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour and NPR. Her first book, Unwell Women: Misdiagnosis and Myth in a Man-Made World (2021), examines the historical neglect and misunderstanding of women’s health and has been translated into multiple languages. In A Woman’s Work (2026), Cleghorn extends her feminist historical research to motherhood, recovering the experiences of women whose contributions to families and societies have too often been overlooked. She lives in Sussex, England.

View author page
Details
Published
2026
Author
Elinor Cleghorn