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Abstract

During her reproductive years, a Canadian heterosexual cisgender woman will likely engage in the labour of preventing pregnancy, trying to achieve pregnancy, and/or being pregnant. While each stage of reproduction involves significant time and energy, the labour tied to preventing pregnancy, conceiving, and growing life is undervalued, unrecognized, and rendered invisible. Much of the work around reproduction involves not just cognitive function, but also a mental load and emotional labour. It is assumed that women need to do this labour as a pregnancy exists within her reproductive body; however, this assumption fails to acknowledge the reality of how laborious each stage of women’s reproductive lives can be. Women’s labour, while pivotal for the success of capitalism, is rendered invisible while it is simultaneously assumed to be naturally occurring and lacking economic value. This process can include the work of preventing babies, making babies, and growing babies.

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