Advocacy FAQ's

Does Mothers & More presume to speak for all mothers?

Our members are similar to each other in many ways; they worked for pay - often in professional settings- prior to having children, most are college educated, most have significantly altered their paid work participation sometime after becoming mothers. These similarities mean that they also share similar experiences of the transition to motherhood. This is what brings them together in our chapters and through our other services. Another result of these similarities is that our members share similarities of race and class.

We fully recognize that a woman's experience of motherhood changes depending on her race, religion, socioeconomic status and even physical abilities. While we hope to be a catalyst for a mother's movement, we see ourselves as only one part of what we hope will be a movement that encompasses many organizations representing many mothers' experiences and interests. We do not presume to speak for all mothers. We consider it our responsibility to represent the interests of our own members while at the same time seeking out perspectives of other mothers to inform our own such that our goals do not unknowingly conflict. We believe it is imperative for us to forge partnerships with individuals and organizations, so that together we will ultimately build a broader, sustainable movement that truly represents all mothers.

What is Sequencing?

Mothers & More represents women who - by choice or circumstance - alter their participation in the paid workplace over the course of their active parenting years. We recognize the needs of the growing number of mothers who move in and out of paid employment and/or opt for a variety of flexible work arrangements in order to balance successfully their work and family responsibilities. This fluid work pattern, which occurs over a number of years and at various stages of motherhood, is known as "sequencing". The term sequencing was coined by Arlene Rossen Cardozo in her 1986 book, Sequencing.

Does Sequencing Follow a Specific Pattern?

Not all sequencing women make identical decisions. Some mothers leave paid employment entirely and spend a number of months or years at home full-time. Others pursue volunteer work or continue working for pay but opt for flexible work options including part-time, flex-time, flex-place, job sharing, and home-based businesses. Regardless of the many individual ways to combine paid employment and motherhood, sequencing women are united by common experiences - which include, either by choice or necessity, adapting their work arrangements to accommodate better the responsibilities of family care.