Mommification refers to the erasure of women’s identities as they become mothers in a misogynistic culture.

Motherhood is often invisible as a marginalized identity in itself.

A key mechanism through which mommification occurs is via maternal guilt.

Mothers can overcome mommification by reclaiming their whole selves.

Ambivalence is a common feeling among women as they consider motherhood, because the role is fraught in an oppressive culture. Mothers lose recognition and status in many areas of identity – social, professional, and financial, to name a few. Based on my experience as a psychologist and mother, I have begun to take note of these issues. The term I use to refer to the erasing of women’s identities as they become mothers in a misogynistic culture is mommification.

Motherhood in itself is often invisible as a marginalized identity. Jolly (2017) argued that motherhood has been missing in contemporary portrayals of social oppression. She maintained that motherhood is a key component in women’s experience of social and economic injustice. For example, she demonstrated that gender alone is not the source of discrimination that contributes to the motherhood wage penalty, given that childless women tend to be offered higher salaries.

Other research on mothers in the working world supports this notion of mommification. New mothers can lose status in their careers once they have children and feel forced to exit high-performing jobs. When they leave the traditional workplace, they often........

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