Humanity’s indispensable but unsung heroes

Last updated on March 20th, 2025 at 04:11 am

This year’s Commission on the Status of Women with its focus on “the empowerment of women” should serve as an urgent reminder of what the United Nations admitted in a major 1981 treaty, and what all of us should be earnestly striving to rectify: “The great contribution of women to the welfare of the family and to the development of society [is] so far not fully recognized.” Will it ever be?

“When the real history of mankind is fully disclosed,” mused Elder Neal A. Maxwell, “will it feature the echoes of gunfire or the shaping sound of lullabies? Will what happened in cradles and kitchens prove to be more controlling than what happened in congresses?” Meanwhile, according to Archbishop Bernardito Auza,

All of civilization owes an unpayable debt of gratitude to the less chronicled or even unknown contributions of women that have shaped civilizations, like the silent but constant flow of deep waters that shape rivers. Our textbooks normally obsess about the names at the top of political hierarchies and are preoccupied fundamentally with economic and military trends. But genuine human progress happens more fundamentally in the relations human beings have with one another and the way human beings care for one another.

Indeed, explained the Archbishop, “humanity owes its survival to the choice women make not just to welcome children, but raise them to be virtuous and authentically human,” even though our world is turning a blind eye to their sacrifice.

We’re living in a time when the unique value and dignity of motherhood in some societies is insufficiently defended, appreciated and advanced, leaving women culturally and legally in a position to choose between their intellectual and professional development and their personal growth as wives and mothers…. Sometimes their invisible and often heroic service is even disparaged as an antiquated and unwholesome model of feminine life.

That this remarkable development is happening even in the United Nations is a betrayal of the principles it proclaimed shortly after its founding in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, whose only designation of a class of rights as “special” is reserved for mothers and children: “Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance.” And the only time the Declaration acknowledges a “group unit” as having rights is when it speaks of family: “The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the State.” This core connection between family and the indispensable role of mothers was emphasized by Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon.

Mothers play a critical role in the family, which is a powerful force for social cohesion and integration. The mother-child relationship is vital for the healthy development of children…. We face multiple challenges in our changing world, but one factor remains constant: the timeless importance of mothers and their invaluable contribution to raising the next generation.

A powerful online documentary titled The Power of Mothers: Their Influence on the World highlights mothers and policymakers from around the globe. Dedicated to “every mother whose love and devotion serves to shape humanity and ensure the future of us all,” the documentary was produced by Shelly Locke, who has organized sweeping relief efforts and delivered much-needed resources and encouragement to mothers across the world. “Mothers are the most powerful influence for good on the earth today,” says Shelly, for “within their hands lies the very future of the world. Mothers of the world deserve our greatest respect, our protection, and our care.” 

Or, in the words of Archbishop Auza, “Our future is already mirrored in how we, as individuals and as a society, support mothers to raise strong and healthy families.” It is a warning we cannot afford to ignore.