Mothers of today have available to them an unprecedented quantity and variety of information concerning the process of conceiving, bearing, birthing and raising a child. Yet it is only a little more than half a century ago that mothers were firmly convinced of the authority of maternal instinct. From experiential knowledge shared verbally amongst female relatives and friends, to a profusion of ‘expert’ information accessible virtually and instantaneously, the ways women learn about mothering have shifted dramatically over the past 70 years. Drawing upon oral history interviews and historical child-rearing material, this article illuminates shifts in the source, content and transmission of advice to Australian mothers since 1945.

Item Type:	Refereed Article
Keywords:	history, mother, advice, child-rearing, motherhood, Australia, oral history, child-rearing advice
Research Division:	History, Heritage and Archaeology
Research Group:	Historical studies
Research Field:	Australian history
Objective Division:	Culture and Society
Objective Group:	Understanding past societies
Objective Field:	Understanding Australia's past
UTAS Author:	Pascoe Leahy, C (Dr Carla Pascoe Leahy)
ID Code:	148739
Year Published:	2015
Web of Science® Times Cited:	2
Deposited By:	History and Classics
Deposited On:	2022-02-04
Last Modified:	2022-03-15
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