Jess Brammar

In this event we will grapple with past and present experiences of mothering. How can we tell a story of maternal labour in the past, in the absence of data? What does it mean to study mothering today, in the context of intensified neoliberalism? How does mothering enter the radar of policymakers? And what is the relationship between these questions and how we study them in contemporary academia?

For more parenting stories, (non judgmental) advice, tips and memes, check out Grazia's new parenting community on Instagram, @TheJuggleUK We named our baby Jude after my nan’s favourite saint – the patron saint of lost causes. Born when I was 37 after a year of gruelling fertility treatment, I had picked the name partly as a lighthearted nod to all that, with no idea what the first year of his life would hold for me and so many other new mums.

I considered not saying anything about this because I’m aware I won’t make myself popular with my peers but i’m just going to stand up and say it: I don’t agree with statement from my industry body that it is “untrue that sections of UK press were bigoted” societyofeditors.org/soe_news/uk-me… I don’t disagree w every bit of that statement - but that top line is not how some people working in our industry feel about the bigotry of some sections of the UK press aimed at *people like them*.