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Date of Award

2024

Document Type

Campus Access Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy in Rhetoric, Theory and Culture (PhD)

Administrative Home Department

Department of Humanities

Advisor 1

Marika Seigel

Advisor 2

Patricia Sotirin

Committee Member 1

Stefka Hristova

Committee Member 2

Kelly Kamm

Abstract

This dissertation explores the role of breast pumps as technological mediators in contemporary motherhood, examining how they shape maternal identities within a socio-cultural and policy-driven landscape. Using a poststructuralist feminist framework, this study critically engages with narratives from mothers to reveal how breast pumps simultaneously empower and constrain. While these technologies enable women to manage breastfeeding alongside paid labor, they also reinforce societal expectations that frame caregiving as a private, individualized responsibility. Drawing on Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), this research uncovers the nuanced ways mothers navigate the use of breast pumps, highlighting the interplay between autonomy, cultural norms, and structural pressures. Participants’ experiences reveal that while breast pumps offer flexibility, they also tie mothers to rigid routines, reflecting broader societal demands for productivity and self-sacrifice. Furthermore, the findings demonstrate how the act of pumping can contribute to feelings of isolation yet opens possibilities for communal caregiving, such as shared feeding duties and milk-sharing practices. This dissertation calls for a reimagining of maternal technologies and policy frameworks, advocating for comprehensive support systems that include paid maternity leave, flexible work arrangements, and communal caregiving initiatives. By challenging the current neoliberal focus on individual responsibility, the study emphasizes the need for collective approaches that recognize caregiving as a shared social duty. Ultimately, this research contributes to the ongoing discourse on the complex ways maternal technologies interact with and influence maternal identity in contemporary caregiving.

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