Power, politics, and the mourning mother: A cross-cultural analysis of Mothers Against Drunk Driving and the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo

Mothers Against Drunk Driving in the United States (MADD) and the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo in Argentina each formed out of a loss of its children and organized under the identity of the mother in order gain access to the political arena. Transformed into political movements, both groups of mothers were able to effectively bring about changes in public policy, and therefore, society as a whole. Additionally, they were able to transcend traditional cultural norms, by redefining the role and identity of the mother. By exploiting opportunities that propelled them into positions of power, the women fundamentally changed the concept of power itself, to include components of the traditionally female realm, which has historically been absent from the way in which power has been perceived.