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Femina envisions a world in which women are valued, respected, and compensated fairly for the work we do.

We are a network of diverse women, celebrating our differences and finding power in our shared understanding of what unites us as women. We are businesswomen, workers, academics, caregivers, laborers, artists, health professionals, mothers. We employ work strategies that are creative and revolutionary; they are distinguished by their reliance on qualities typically associated with women - nurturing, loving, caring, supportive, relational, and strong. We reject the marginalization of our gender in our homes, in our places of work, and in our communities. Femina facilitates connectivity and supports women being well in the world as it is, while (re)creating a world that is healthier for us and for our families. We seek to change our community and its institutions through authentic action that reflects who we are as women.

Other Mothers or OtherMother

Othermothers are women, including but not limited to biological mothers, who provide care for children not biologically their own, as well as the world we inhabit.  This role is not new, nor is it unique to a particular culture.  My first exposure to othermothering was via Patricia Hill Collins, a scholar, researcher, and theorist who reanimated the term to describe the valued, but often ignored work of women in black communities.  But even a cursory look at herstory reveals that othermothers have populated the world, created and preserved communities and cultures, and "done the work," way before we started paying attention.

 

Othermothers use mothering strategies, which are varied in form and range from direct childcare to social activism.  These strategies are creative and revolutionary; they are distinguished by their reliance on qualities typically associated with women—nurturing, loving, caring, supportive, relational.  Othermothers are women who use their innate mothering skills in everything they do:  raising kids, building community, starting and running businesses, and activating within the political sphere. We reject the rigid dichotomy of “woman” versus “man” that has led to the devaluation of women (and men) and the work we do in the world. The devaluation of women’s work and mothering strategies has led to the marginalization of our gender, in our homes, in our places of work, in our communities. We facilitate connections and help women to discover (or rediscover) their strengths so that they can be well in the current world, while (re)creating a world where mothering is valued and respected.  We seek to change our community, its members and institutions, through authentic action that reflects who we are as women, and that restores to women the respect and value that should be offered to us all.

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