在一九六○年代到七○年代初期，美國第二波美國婦女運動中白人女性主義者對母親角色採取負面批判的態度。她們挑戰母親是女性宿命(destiny)的傳統觀念，爭取女性有「不作母親」的權利。然而，同一時期黑人女性主義者卻爭取保障作母親的權利？為什麼女性主義者之間有如此大差異？種族歧視扮演什麼角色？種族歧視如何影響婦女運動中母親角色爭議？本文希望能從黑、白女性主義者的「母親角色」爭議中，探索種族歧視可能扮演的角色，藉此瞭解美國婦女運動和母親角色的複雜關係。並點出以性別為唯一訴求的婦女運動的侷限性，以及性別、種族和階級面向之不可分割性。 本文分為三個部分。首先簡述白人女性主義者母親角色論點。其次討論黑人女性主義者定義母親角色和面臨的困難。這部份包括（一）黑人女性主義者批判性別歧視；（二）黑人女性主義者反駁母權迷思(matriarch myth)；（三）賦予黑人女性特質正面意義。第三部份比較黑人和白人女性主義者相關母親角色的實際議題，包括生育自主權、托兒服務、工作等。本文的結論是，婦女運動起源於女性對自身所受歧視的反擊，反映參與者的社會，政治，經濟和法律等各方面差異。黑、白女性主義者對母親角色的爭議，主要是導因於她們的社會處境的差異，形成對同一議題的輕重緩急有別。從母親角色議題來看，白人女性主義者的種族歧視使他們以為自己的經驗代表所有女性，把性別平等列為婦女運動的首要目標，忽略其他女性的種族和階級歧視。

During the 1960s and early 1970s─the early stage of the second women’s movement in America─white feminists challenged the traditional concept of motherhood that prescribed that every woman was destined to become a mother and motherhood was a woman’s finest achievement. While white feminists were fighting to escape the destiny of motherhood, American black feminists were struggling to protect their rights to be mothers and to redefine black motherhood. Why did these differences emerge? Did racism contribute to the differences? What was the impact of racism feminists’ definition of motherhood? How racism affect the development of feminism and the women’s movement? By exploring feminist debates on motherhood, this article aims to illuminate the role of racism in the women’s movement and to understand the complex relationship between motherhood and feminism. There are three sections. First, I briefly summarize the background of the second women’s movement and white feminists’ arguments against traditional motherhood. I also lay out their views on better forms of motherhood. The second section discusses problems black feminists faced and how they struggled to define motherhood. While sexual discrimination was a serious problem, black feminists needed to cope with sex, race and class oppressions at the same time. In order to reclaim a positive image of the black mother, black feminists rebutted such dominant images as matriarch and mammy. The redefined image of a strong, independent and hard working black mother embraced a broader and more powerful role for women. The last section compares black and white feminists’ concerns on issues and programs such as reproductive freedom, day care, and women’s right to work. This article concludes that the different view’s on motherhood between black and white feminists are due to their different experiences of motherhood. Although white feminists were not guilty of serious racist practices, such as excluding black women, they were responsible for over-generalizing their experience of motherhood to women of other backgrounds. Their lack of awareness of their racial and class privileges was also a form of racism.

婦女運動；女性主義；母親角色；母職；種族歧視；黑人婦女；性別歧視

the women’s movement; feminism; motherhood; black feminism; racism; sexism