By Sally Raskoff

Have you ever noticed how pregnant women are treated in
public? I have become ever more aware of this lately since I know at least six
people who are due in the next month. Each one of them has mentioned how
remarkable it is to move through public spaces because people treat them so
differently than they had before (and so differently than they will later).

Pregnant women tend to be treated as special people; doors
are opened, people smile, people talk to them nicely, and may even give them
their place in line. (A few people can react negatively, but their behavior is
typically to avoid the pregnant person.)

This happens most often in the middle phase when it’s
obvious they are pregnant but not so big that moving around is tremendously
uncomfortable.

Some people will be so bold as to touch the pregnant belly.
This is not often received well,
especially if the pregnant woman does not know
the person who wants to touch them.

How can we explain these behaviors using our sociological
tools? We can borrow ideas from sociological theory to help us understand why
people who are pregnant might be treated differently than others.

Erving
Goffman and symbolic
interactionists, Emile
Durkheim and functionalist
theory as well as conflict
and feminist theory
can offer some insight here.

Starting with a conflict – and feminist – perspective, the
pregnant woman is not just an individual member of society; it is as if she –
and her body – belongs to society. Her body is a commodity of sorts as it is
reproducing the raw materials of society. Thus those who encounter her may feel
some ownership over her developing contribution to their community and our society.

Oddly enough, although society has a claim upon the vessel
of reproduction, we often classify pregnancy as a disability (if it is covered
at all under workplace policies) yet it is not a disability per se. Many women
do not have coverage – or good coverage – for pregnancy, thus they take a hit
in the workplace through wage loss or even job loss. We devalue and punish the
person who is reproducing even though that process is key to society’s
existence.

Durkheim wrote extensively about the religious
aspects of social life, and may say that a mother-to-be represents a
sacred, not profane, aspect of life. To bring a human into the world may be a
common thing but it is also quite amazing, really much like a miracle.

It reminds us that we are animals who reproduce like
all other animals, but it is also reinforces whatever our faith might be. Religious
aspects adhere to the situation yet so do spiritual beliefs. The pregnant woman
represents this sacred aspect of life.

To grow and bring a human into this plane of existence is no
easy feat. It does, in the larger scheme of life, ensure one aspect of our
continuance as a species. (Not that our extinction due to a lack of reproduction
capacity is anywhere in sight.)

From a symbolic interactionist perspective, reactions may
vary depending on the life experience of the person looking upon the pregnant
woman. The meaning that each individual imparts to their interactions with a
pregnant person is informed by and through their experiences.

If they come from a place of personal experience with
pregnancy, of having been pregnant, all of those memories come into play. They
may move from a detached gaze to an interactive connection. They may tell their
pregnancy or labor story to the pregnant woman – who may not want to hear it.
It can be an intensely personal connection. The partner of the pregnant person,
if also present, may receive some support or humor from those who have
experienced being a partner in that situation.

Those who
prefer not to and/or will not reproduce, the reaction could be based more on
their experiences with the pregnancies and children around them. This is a less
personal connection, possibly invoking stories from relatives or friends – or
no connection at all.

For people who have tried unsuccessfully to become
pregnant the pain of that experience– and the yearning for a child– can come
through in their gaze or their interactions. This can be a very personal
connection that is rife with very intense emotions. Those that have had previous negative experience(s)
with pregnancy, they may not interact with the pregnant woman at all.

The pregnant woman can expect that people will react to her
in very intense patterns whether inclusive and personal or exclusionary and
detached.

Once she has left behind the status of pregnant to being a
person who was pregnant, things may be
very different. If she then moves through society with a baby in tow, reactions
can be less positive,  especially if that
baby is crying. People and their babies are tolerated if they are like the
proverbial child, “seen yet not heard.”

Nursing mothers are not often welcome
in public spaces, although that’s a very effective way to help a baby stop
crying. The cover of Time magazine in May 2012 depicting a
nursing mother of an older child (3 years old) was received with a lot of
attention – mostly negative.The magazine
covers of pregnant actresses typically get a lot of attention – mostly
positive. (Demi
Moore, Vanity Fair, 1991; Cindy
Crawford, W, 1999; Christina
Aguilera, Marie Claire, 2008; Jessica
Simpson, Elle, 2012; Mariah
Carey, Life & Style, 2011; and Nia
Long, Ebony, 2011.)

The pregnant covers depict the women in poses not too
different from the usual cover shots – sexualized and/or confident, depending
on your point of view. The Time cover
depicted the mother and child somewhat incongruously for a nursing pair, with
the physical attachment but an apparent emotional detachment as both are
looking at the camera/reader – and the child, wearing camouflage print pants,
looks older than three years old. Society’s norms and pressures for conformity
kick in to both sides of this with strong reactions if a pregnant woman looks
like she may be drinking or smoking – and if a woman appears to be parenting outside
our social norms – in ways our society does not condone (e.g., nursing
a child “too long”).

How would the different sociological perspectives explain
why we treat women with children so differently than the way we treat pregnant
women?