Motherhood and Motherhood Women were constantly confronted with questions regarding what it meant to be a "good mother." Although times continue to change, the issues facing 21st century mothers remain similar to those faced by past generations. In the 21st century, a large number of mothers still face the complex issue of the "stay-at-home mom" stereotype, despite the feminist movement giving women more rights than ever before. Before. However, although great strides have been made, these changes have had an effect on society's notion of motherhood. The representation of motherhood is determined by the countless expectations in which society has established itself. Those expectations have expanded, which now influences how motherhood is portrayed in different cultures. Overall, the feminist movement has greatly influenced Western society, which has led to women's suffrage, the right to make individual decisions, and has also led to a wider range of jobs for women with more equivalent wages. However, the emergence of women's employment has created a war between "stay-at-home" mothers and "working" mothers, often referred to as the "mommy wars." Furthermore, women's employment offers men the opportunity to stay at home and become the primary caregiver, which has had a great impact on society's notion of motherhood, treating them differently than primary caregivers of the opposite sex. This article will examine how the feminist movement has altered the notion of motherhood in 21st century society compared to past generations due to working mothers and stay-at-home fathers. Feminist scholars have divided the history of the feminist movement into three distinct... .... middle of paper...... 436-445. Print.Mason, Karen Oppenheim, An Jensen, and Janet Saltzman Chafetz. "Chicken or egg? A theory of the relationship between the feminist movement and family change". Gender and family changes in industrialized countries. Oxford: Clarendon Press; 1995. 63-68. Print.Krolokke, Charlotte; Sorensen, Anne Scott, "Three Waves of Feminism: From Suffragettes to Grrls." Theories and analysis of gender communication: from silence to performance. SAGE Publications, Inc; 2005 1-17. Print.Rosch, L. (2001, December 10). Stay-at-home dads: Modern moms share the ups and downs of stay-at-home fatherhood. Parents' magazine. Retrieved March 11, 2014, from http://www.parents.com/parenting/dads/issues-trends/stay-at-home-dads/Woolfe, Virginia. "The Story of Shakespeare's Sister." Reading women's lives. 1929. Reprint. Canada: Pearson Custom Publishing, 1957. 151-163. Press.