Motherhood is more than a set of tasks—it’s about bringing new life into the world, fostering love, nurturing others, and helping children to thrive. But as society prizes productivity over care, and advances in technology race ahead, mothering is increasingly sidelined and a future of artificial wombs and ‘bio bags’ feels less far–fetched. But at what cost? Are we at risk of losing the spiritual aspects of motherhood that make it a doorway into our humanity?

Motherhood vs The Machine is a four–part podcast series on the future of motherhood,hosted by Chine McDonald and Dr Madeleine Pennington, featuring experts including Lucy Jones, Mary Harrington and Dr Charlotte Faircloth.

E1. Work: Could machines take over the work of mothering? (Listen here)

E2. Pregnancy & birthing: Could machines have our babies? (Listen here)

E3. Feeding: Could mothers be replaced by feeding machines? (Listen here)

E4. Death: Is grief an inevitable part of motherhood? (Listen here)

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Production Credits:

Stephanie Tam, Executive Producer
David Benjamin Blower, Audio Editor and Sound Designer
Daniel Turner, Recording Engineer and Assistant Producer

Can’t get enough of ‘Motherhood vs the Machine’?

Chine McDonald speaks with Elizabeth Oldfield about the podcast on a bonus episode of The Sacred

Awards

We are honoured to announce that Motherhood vs The Machine has been shortlisted for the Sandford St Martin 2026 Awards in the Radio/Audio category.