The work focuses on the social surveillance that forces women to fulfill the "good mother" role, even when they do not feel fulfilled by it.

Madres Arrepentidas: Una mirada radical a la maternidad y sus falacias sociales (Regretting Motherhood) by Orna Donath is a sociological study exploring the experience of women who, if they could go back in time, would not become mothers. The book challenges the social assumption that motherhood is an innate, universally satisfying experience. Key insights from the work include:

The book highlights that many women experience regret, but this feeling is heavily stigmatized, leading to silence and shame. Donath argues against this stigma, aiming to open a conversation about how society pressures women into motherhood.

Many of the interviewed women described motherhood as an ongoing experience that erases their previous identity, causing them to long for their life before children.