Documentary Director Samantha Rife On the Stigmas of Motherhood

Today we’re talking about an upcoming documentary and social impact campaign covering a topic you probably wouldn’t expect to be covered – motherhood. I never knew this myself, but mothers experience discrimination in the US, from deep-rooted assumptions about social or gender roles, for breastfeeding in public, and for not having a perfect body again after childbirth. Many women, particularly stay-at-home moms, become demoralized, feel alienated, and lose their personhood. They often lose their chance to return to their jobs.  Often, people judge them immediately when they say they are a full-time mom, assuming that they aren’t hard-working, that they aren’t intelligent or that they aren’t contributing members of society. Yet, they are molding society’s greatest assets – the next generation. My guest is the wonderful Samantha Rife, the Director and Executive Producer of the documentary film “Reclaim Motherhood”. She will share with us her mission behind this film and the associated campaign which will target corporate HR departments as well as middle schools, high schools and universities.  You will hear examples of the struggles that mothers often face at work, with the government, and in their communities. She also shares the importance of bridging the gap between people who choose to be parents and those who choose to be childless. Samantha is also the founder of SJR Research and for over 25 years, she has worked as a writer and researcher, and provided support for large and small projects in a wide variety of fields including History, Genealogy, Information Technology, Education, Writing/Editing, Film and Media, Communications, Marketing, Public Health/Social Services, managed Healthcare, Visual Arts, and much more. Samantha is a mother of 2 children – Joshua and Cassandra. She lives in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, with her husband Jamie. For more info about the documentary, or to contribute your personal donation to the production and campaign – even a few dollars will help this cause – visit reclaimmotherhood.com.