Social stigma Abortion is illegal in Ireland and considered immoral by a high proportion of the population, so it is a stigmatised form of behaviour. Secrecy is inevitable. But lone parenthood is also a source of social stigma and abortion protects women from experiencing this stigma. Consequently secrecy about the pregnancy is antecedent to and in most cases a prerequisite of secrecy about the abortion. In their interviews women explained why they kept their pregnancies secret from their parents.
Pregnancies are now more likely to be planned or occur within appropriate social arrangements.
However, not all women wish to become mothers and ten of the women interviewed in the abortion sample said they never wanted to have a child. However, other women while wanting to become mothers were not ready to have a child, or could not cope with a child at that particular stage in their lives. The child and its social and emotional needs The modernisation of motherhood has changed the role of mothers from one of emotional and caring support to one which combines both caring and financial roles. Women's increased independence and obligation to work has changed both the nature of marriage and women's perception of the demands of motherhood. As mothers, women now carry the double burden of income earner and carer.