Shelina Janmohamed is an author and a culture columnist for The National
September 27, 2024
In the polarising conversations on social media about women’s bodies, it can be easy to forget one simple, extraordinary fact. Women’s bodies are capable of making new, tiny human beings. Little people that grow into big people with their own bodies, brains, ideas and personalities. It still astounds me because on an entirely personal note, nearly 15 years into my own motherhood journey, when I look at my children, I think, wow, they came from me.
I’ve been in a state of hyper-astonishment since reading about the publication of a new study demonstrating brain neuroplasticity during pregnancy. Pregnancy doesn’t just reshape lives, and create tiny people, it literally rewires women’s brains.
A study by neuroscientists at the University of California conducted 26 MRI scans before, during and after pregnancy of one woman, a neuroscientist herself, to see how the brain changes. Previous studies have looked at the before and after, but this time we get to see what happens during the pregnancy.
It showed a reduction in the volume of grey matter, which persists after the pregnancy, and an increase in white matter, which subsides after the pregnancy ends. The purpose exactly of these changes is still a matter of uncertainty. Grey matter is linked to cognitive function like thought and memory, and some speculation suggests it is a process of refinement.
Other periods of extreme brain neuroplasticity include, for example, puberty. The increase in white matter is thought to be about increasing communication between brain regions.
Or to put it in common parlance, "mum-brain" is a thing. But perhaps not in the trivial and sometimes demeaning way it is used colloquially – including by women.
"Mum-brain" is a pop culture term, referring to absent mindedness or feeling "brain fog", which might be as much to do with sleep deprivation and being on call 24/7 for a baby. But what this study shows is that actually might be the brain evolving, preparing a pregnant woman for motherhood. So the dynamic process of neuroplasticity termed "mum-brain" might not be a sign of cognitive loss but of improvement and focusing on what matters most in the core human function of giving birth to and nurturing a child.
Recognising the neurological changes that happen during pregnancy and what people experience is a fundamental step towards understanding the full scope of womanhood. PA Wire
In part, I am astonished at how the change to the female pregnant brain is being studied only now. There are a number of studies that show women are overlooked or undermined in data. Such oversight seems to be not just a glaring gap in scientific understanding, but a reflection of society’s ideas about women and pregnancy in general. Which is why it doesn’t surprise me that the study was led by women, and the subject was herself a neuroscientist who proposed the idea.
Societal views about pregnancy are a paradox. Some views might hold that pregnant women are fragile, vulnerable and don’t know their own minds. At the same time, it’s so completely ordinary that women should just carry on as normal both in the workplace and at home without complaint.
Biologically, pregnancy is extraordinary, but culturally the idea of pregnancy swings on a pendulum – between being minimised in some parts of society or being put on a pedestal.
Investigations of this profoundly female experience will hopefully be a groundbreaker for listening to women’s experiences
When it’s minimised, women tend to suffer through the attitudes of others and being treated as if they need to suck it up because millions have gone through pregnancy before them and it's normal to suffer.
Conversely, when pregnancy is put on a pedestal, it can appear that women can’t complain because motherhood is the pinnacle of the human process. And so they ought to stop complaining that it's physically exhausting, which is why perhaps a pregnant woman is too tired to clean the house.
That’s why studies like this are so important. They give us scientific data about pregnancy and women, and objective information to substantiate what women actually say about themselves. It's important to compare the stereotypes we hold about pregnancy to actual scientific proof.
The fact that some parts of science are have only now caught up to this reality suggests that society, too, has some catching up to do.
In my view, it’s lazy to think of pregnancy as nothing more than a purely physical transformation limited to the period of reproduction. This research shows that it’s much deeper, probably altering a woman’s sense of self, cognitive powers as well as her identity in the public space.
Recognising the neurological changes that happen during pregnancy and what people experience is a fundamental step towards understanding the full scope of womanhood.
Even as global fertility rates have dramatically declined and globally women are having fewer children, pregnancy is an existential, life-altering process.
If there were other physical process that were this widespread and fundamental I can’t imagine that we wouldn’t be racing to explore every single aspect of its impact.
Investigations of this profoundly female experience will hopefully be a groundbreaker for listening to women’s experiences and taking them more seriously. That societies generally tend to not give women’s voices about their own physical experiences more credence is still astonishing to me.
The Lowdown
Kesari
Rating: 2.5/5 stars
Produced by: Dharma Productions, Azure Entertainment
Directed by: Anubhav Singh
Cast: Akshay Kumar, Parineeti Chopra
Saturday
Fiorentina v Torino (8pm)
Hellas Verona v Roma (10.45pm)
Sunday
Parma v Napoli (2.30pm)
Genoa v Crotone (5pm)
Sassuolo v Cagliari (8pm)
Juventus v Sampdoria (10.45pm)
Monday
AC Milan v Bologna (10.45om)
Playing September 30
Benevento v Inter Milan (8pm)
Udinese v Spezia (8pm)
Lazio v Atalanta (10.45pm)
SERIE A FIXTURES
Saturday
AC Milan v Sampdoria (2.30pm kick-off UAE)
Atalanta v Udinese (5pm)
Benevento v Parma (5pm)
Cagliari v Hellas Verona (5pm)
Genoa v Fiorentina (5pm)
Lazio v Spezia (5pm)
Napoli v Crotone (5pm)
Sassuolo v Roma (5pm)
Torino v Juventus (8pm)
Bologna v Inter Milan (10.45pm)
Top 10 in the F1 drivers' standings
1. Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari 202 points
2. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes-GP 188
3. Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes-GP 169
4. Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull Racing 117
5. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari 116
6. Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing 67
7. Sergio Perez, Force India 56
8. Esteban Ocon, Force India 45
9. Carlos Sainz Jr, Toro Rosso 35
10. Nico Hulkenberg, Renault 26
The Indoor Cricket World Cup
When: September 16-23
Where: Insportz, Dubai
Indoor cricket World Cup:
Insportz, Dubai, September 16-23
UAE fixtures:
Men
Saturday, September 16 – 1.45pm, v New Zealand
Sunday, September 17 – 10.30am, v Australia; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Monday, September 18 – 2pm, v England; 7.15pm, v India
Tuesday, September 19 – 12.15pm, v Singapore; 5.30pm, v Sri Lanka
Thursday, September 21 – 2pm v Malaysia
Friday, September 22 – 3.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 3pm, grand final
Women
Saturday, September 16 – 5.15pm, v Australia
Sunday, September 17 – 2pm, v South Africa; 7.15pm, v New Zealand
Monday, September 18 – 5.30pm, v England
Tuesday, September 19 – 10.30am, v New Zealand; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Thursday, September 21 – 12.15pm, v Australia
Friday, September 22 – 1.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 1pm, grand final
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Tamkeen's offering
Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
Option 2: 50% across three years
Option 3: 30% across five years
Summer special
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Young women have more “financial grit”, but fall behind on investing
In an October survey of young adults aged 16 to 25, Charles Schwab found young women are more driven to reach financial independence than young men (67 per cent versus. 58 per cent). They are more likely to take on extra work to make ends meet and see more value than men in creating a plan to achieve their financial goals. Yet, despite all these good ‘first’ measures, they are investing and saving less than young men – falling early into the financial gender gap.
While the women surveyed report spending 36 per cent less than men, they have far less savings than men ($1,267 versus $2,000) – a nearly 60 per cent difference.
In addition, twice as many young men as women say they would invest spare cash, and almost twice as many young men as women report having investment accounts (though most young adults do not invest at all).
“Despite their good intentions, young women start to fall behind their male counterparts in savings and investing early on in life,” said Carrie Schwab-Pomerantz, senior vice president, Charles Schwab. “They start off showing a strong financial planning mindset, but there is still room for further education when it comes to managing their day-to-day finances.”
Ms Schwab-Pomerantz says parents should be conveying the same messages to boys and girls about money, but should tailor those conversations based on the individual and gender.
"Our study shows that while boys are spending more than girls, they also are saving more. Have open and honest conversations with your daughters about the wage and savings gap," she said. "Teach kids about the importance of investing – especially girls, who as we see in this study, aren’t investing as much. Part of being financially prepared is learning to make the most of your money, and that means investing early and consistently."
Khalid Essa, Ali Khaseif, Fahad Al Dhanhani, Adel Al Hosani, Bandar Al Ahbabi, Mohammad Barghash, Salem Rashid, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Shaheen Abdulrahman, Hassan Al Mahrami, Walid Abbas, Mahmoud Khamis, Yousef Jaber, Majed Sorour, Majed Hassan, Ali Salmeen, Abdullah Ramadan, Abdullah Al Naqbi, Khalil Al Hammadi, Fabio De Lima, Khalfan Mubarak, Tahnoon Al Zaabi, Ali Saleh, Caio Canedo, Ali Mabkhout, Sebastian Tagliabue, Zayed Al Ameri
Marie Byrne, a counsellor who volunteers at the UAE government's mental health crisis helpline, said the ordeal the crew had been through would take time to overcome.
“It was worse than a prison sentence, where at least someone can deal with a set amount of time incarcerated," she said.
“They were living in perpetual mystery as to how their futures would pan out, and what that would be.
“Because of coronavirus, the world is very different now to the one they left, that will also have an impact.
“It will not fully register until they are on dry land. Some have not seen their young children grow up while others will have to rebuild relationships.
“It will be a challenge mentally, and to find other work to support their families as they have been out of circulation for so long. Hopefully they will get the care they need when they get home.”
