The Tension Between Evolutionary Biology & Modern Motherhood
🎙️ Recent episode: "We Are Animals" author Jennifer Case explains
Hey Privates!
This summer I sat down with Jennifer Case, author of We Are Animals: On the Nature and Politics of Motherhood, and wow—this conversation struck a chord. With the national conversation around abortion access and my own pondering of the 'Should I have a kid?' question, it's been on my mind ever since.
In We Are Animals, Jennifer unpacks how societal expectations, autonomy, and evolutionary biology collide when it comes to motherhood today. Her book is a nuanced exploration of what it means to mother in a world that sometimes feels at odds with our primal nature. Jennifer’s insights offer a lot to think about for anyone thinking about taking the parenthood plunge (like me) or currently navigating its challenges.
Listen to the full interview with Jennifer Case:
Some highlights from her interview:
1. When partners disagree on an unexpected pregnancy
Jennifer shares an intimate story about becoming pregnant with her second child, who was unplanned. Her husband’s stance against abortion left Jennifer in a difficult spot, and she speaks candidly about what it was like to navigate such a personal choice within the constraints of a partnership.
My second child—it was an unintended pregnancy after I had decided I wanted to be done with one in order to have more work-life balance. That was really challenging for me to have this unintended pregnancy. And my husband didn't agree with abortion, so wouldn't even let us talk about it.
2. The medicalization of birth
While modern medicine has undeniably improved maternal health, Jennifer points out some of the unintended downsides. In her case, she had envisioned an unmedicated birth but was immediately placed on Pitocin for induction, derailing her plan from the start.
She questions having women give birth in stressful hospital environments with bright lights and people coming in and out, which can make childbirth harder. There’s a reason women are afraid—childbirth is inherently risky—but we’re also heightening those fears in hospital settings.
3. Our primal nature vs. modern dynamics
Jennifer’s book tackles how our biological evolution and society’s expectations of motherhood don’t always align. In ancient hunter-gatherer societies, mothers had alloparents—a network of kin to help with childcare, which provided support and helped alleviate maternal stress. Today, many mothers are navigating motherhood in isolation, which can lead to loneliness, anxiety, and depression.
4. The gendered division of labor
Jennifer’s experience with her husband highlights the imbalance that often occurs when parenting begins.
When we got married, we talked about having an equitable marriage, and we pretty evenly distributed household tasks between the two of us. And then we had our daughter and things just went sideways.
She shared a practical tip for frustrated mothers: create a list of all household and childrearing tasks and work with your partner to divide responsibilities.
…If all of these feeding tasks I'm inevitably going to do because I'm breastfeeding, can you take more of these other ones? It at least gives you a way to have that conversation.
For anyone curious about the compromises and complexities of parenthood, especially for mothers, I think you’ll find this discussion interesting and helpful.
Until next time,
Courtney
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So… ROLL CALL! 🗣
Are you a parent? Did these takeaways resonate with you?
Are you childfree? Did this interview validate your choice to remain that way?