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Virginia Tapscott is a wife, a mother of four, a podcaster, a columnist for The Australian, and soon to be an author — though that last credential currently hangs in the balance.

In just four days’ time, Virginia is hoping to raise the remaining half of a $33,000 fundraising target to get her book All Mothers Work across the finish line.

All Mothers Work is a call to Australians — and leaders in Canberra especially — to truly value the unseen work of motherhood. In it, Virginia defends the rights of mothers to raise their own children, instead of being pressured back into the workplace while someone else minds their kids.

We became aware of Virginia through the ARC Conference, hosted in Sydney last month by former Deputy Prime Minister John Anderson. Her speech, which was our highlight session of the day, has since been published on YouTube, and can be viewed below.

Speaking with The Daily Declaration, Virginia mused, “I often wonder why I can’t let this issue go. Advocacy in this area has taken a toll on my family and that is something I struggle to justify. But at the end of the day, I cannot stand by and watch mothers in caregiving roles being shamed and dismissed.”

She added, “My kids are older now, but I think of new mothers going home from the hospital and being isolated, unsupported and devalued in the eyes of society.”

While Virginia acknowledges that the problem she’s confronting “can seem too big and complex,” she is focussed on solutions.

“This book is a way to take action. It will help shift harmful attitudes towards care and the work parents do in raising children.”

Virginia’s passion is not just the oft-forgotten role of mothers, but also the immeasurable benefit children receive when they are raised by their own parents.

“The quality of the care we receive as children shapes the world as we know it,” she explained. “This issue affects every single one of us.”

Donate to Get a Free Signed Copy

To encourage our readers to give to this worthy cause, the Canberra Declaration has already pledged $500 towards the publication of All Mothers Work. You can chip in here — and even receive a free ebook or signed hardback copy depending on the amount you pledge.

The kicker is that Virginia’s Kickstarter campaign is an all-or-nothing deal. The project will only be funded if it reaches its goal by next Thursday morning, the 21st November. All monies will be returned to donors should the target not be met.

Virginia told us the fundraiser began a month ago, and that she’s hoping to press publish before flying to the UK in February for the second annual London ARC Conference.

“Support for parents beyond daycare centres is desperately needed,” she told us.

“This book canvasses policy and cultural solutions that can address the lack of support parents face as caregivers.”

Virginia explained that it’s crucial we have “voices in the public arena that defend a parent’s right to care for their children,” since discussions about early childhood and gender equality are currently dominated by those “rushing women and parents back to paid work before they feel ready”.

‘Bold and Actionable Solutions’

Virginia’s book, currently in final draft form, draws on dozens of motherhood-themed publications but aims to present “a new take on an age-old problem,” as she puts it.

At Kickstarter, she has elaborated on the value that All Mothers Work will bring to conversations about motherhood:

Millions of mothers woke up this morning and went to work, paid and unpaid, still bleeding or injured from childbirth. Many of these women were forced to leave babies and young children in care arrangements that are inadequate. Mothers are experiencing chronic stress and isolation. This isn’t what liberation looks like.

In a world that prioritises economic growth over the wellbeing of individuals, the role of mothers has been eroded, devalued and unsupported. As society continues to place higher importance on the paid contributions of mothers, the essential caregiving work they perform remains overlooked and, at times, denigrated…

Over 13 chapters we explore the historical, economic, and cultural forces that have marginalized mothers’ roles and contributions. Drawing on years of in-depth research, we critique the systems that perpetuate these injustices but also present bold and actionable solutions — proposing new market mechanisms, government policies, and shifts in cultural attitudes that could truly support women in both their paid and unpaid labor. If you are sick of being told that the work of mothering is an unproductive drain on society please help fund the publication of this book!

We encourage you to join over 140 other backers and support Virginia’s project today.

Let’s lift up the value of mothers in Australia and amplify her trailblazing message.