Women's system. Milk brotherhood. Love.
"I have seen a lot of the world and lived in different cultures, but the mothers in Morocco made a deep impression on me."
These are the words that begin my contribution (p. 219-293) in the book "De leegte omarmen" (transl. "Embracing the Void" by Joanne Nihom, 2024).
In it, I talk about the journey I made with our help, to her family in Morocco. An unforgettable journey, in which the bond between women in particular made an indelible impression on me. As a foreigner who did not even speak the language, I felt so welcome!
And in addition to the more universal women's issues such as pregnancy and children, the women taught me about culture-specific topics such as the milk brotherhood and I felt how women are there for each other, for example when one cannot care for her child and the other is involuntarily childless.
In the book you will find more contributions from writers and researchers about (involuntary) childlessness, motherhood and embracing everything that comes with it.