“You Are a Mother Forever, but an Artist for Good, As Well”: Creative Work in the Context of Intensive-Extensive Mothering

Abstract

This feminist research analyzes the balance of gender roles among contemporary female artists after they become mothers and start combining their art making and maternal practices. Using in-depth interviews and observations we study how women are inscribed into the gendered institution of motherhood and how they find ways to resolve the conflict between the roles. Our focus is on how professional artistic practices of female artists after childbirth coexist with practices of intensive-extensive mothering while also problematizing the gender role balance of the mother artist. The successful combination of these roles directly influences the future careers of female artists and whether they can sustain their work in the arts in general. In Russian, extended summary in English.