ABSTRACT
SUMMARY. As women make their first journeys into motherhood, their relationships and discussions with other women, especially other mothers, can be of vital importance. I argue that as women journey into motherhood, they also journey into what might be called a culture of motherhood-a discursive and symbolic realm shared by all mothers. Through interactions among mothers, information, resources, and advice are shared; hierarchies of authority within the community of mothers are established; and women are given opportunities to discursively explore and construct their maternal identities, for example, through the sharing of birth stories. These symbolic, ritualistic, and communicative dimensions of the journey into motherhood can differ between lesbianidentified and heterosexual-identified women. Lesbian mothers can be suspect or marginalized and, at times, feel the need to be circumspect in their interactions. On the other hand, coupled lesbians make the journey
into motherhood, into maternal identity, and into the community of mothers, together as a couple. This is not the same for heterosexual women whose most intimate female companions on the journey tend to be friends, sisters, and mothers. Based on research with 53 Canadian mothers, I compare the journeys into motherhood of lesbian and heterosexual women. doi: 10. 1300/J461 v03n02_09 [Article copies available for a fee from The Haworth Document DelivelY Service: J -800-HA WORTH. E-mail address: <docdelivery@haworthpress.com> Website: <https://www. HaworthPress.com> © 2007 by The Ha worth Press, Inc. All rights reserved.}
KEYWORDS. Culture of motherhood, maternal discourse, lesbian motherhood, heterosexual motherhood
complex and conflicted social meanings attached to their new roles and status. Furthermore they enter, willingly or not, a community of people who are generally identified by the outside world as having much in common and who sometimes identify themselves as having some things in common. Not all wish to enter this community; not all feel that they have entered this community, and not all are equally welcomed by this community, but none is left untouched by it and very few are totally isolated from it. It is with this community, which might be called a culture of motherhood, or, more colloquially, The Mommies' Club. The entree therein is the concern of my research described here.
