This on-line round-table will address the difficult relationship between motherhood and feminism in archaeological practice. It aims to gather voices on motherhood as an identity concept and as lived academic practice. The workshop will consist of two parts:

1. Current research on motherhood in archaeology

This section will showcase current projects, books and articles on motherhood in the past. Papers of 5-10 minutes on all aspects of motherhood, mother-child relationships and mothering in the past are invited. The discussion will focus on current research themes and new methodological approaches to address motherhood in the past.

2. Feminist struggles with motherhood

Not all women in archaeology are mothers – do mothers need a feminism of their own? How can we avoid a mothers vs. non-mothers split in feminism, if life-ways and problems might be quite different? How do gender equality measures ensure fair treatment of mothers/ persons with/without caring responsibilities? This part of the round-table will discuss combining motherhood and careers in archaeology, from the marginalization of new mothers in research to support measures and recommendations for mothers in academia.