Invisible Motherhood Both Sides of the Screen

Abstract

A recent report by the Equality and Human Rights commission has estimated that, based on a survey of over 3,200 women, as many as 54,000 new mothers may be forced out of their jobs in Britain each year. At the same time the representation of motherhood onscreen continues to be problematic most notable for their invisibility or for their stereotypical portrayals. Relegated to the sidelines, mothers, even more than their childless screen sisters, appear as ‘Angels in the House’ or uncaring neglectful women. Working from both sides of the screen, this paper will investigate whether these recent figures by the Equality and Human Rights commission are representative of women returning to work after childbirth within the creative industries and, in turn, whether there is a link between the lack of mothers working behind the scenes and their representation onscreen. Using figures contained in the latest Skillset ‘Workforce Survey Report 2014’ combined with analysis of representative television programmes, Akass and Duthie will use their experiences as theorist and practitioner to argue that the way motherhood is represented onscreen has a direct correlation with the lack of mothers working behind it.