ABSTRACT
Rejecting the view that mothering is simply a biologically programmed, instinctual activity, Ruddick maintains that practices of mothering shape and express maternal thinking. To grasp what maternal thinking is, Ruddick examines the predominantly female practice of mothering and draws out the virtues and values implicit in its ideal form. Ruddick does not idealize mothers—undeniably, no mother is perfect. However, she holds that maternal practice is based on a conception of achievement and that this goal sets standards for mothers. Ruddick’s principal aim is to articulate these standards.
