Stereotypes of Jews - Jewish Women - Jewish Mother

Jewish Mother

The stereotype of the Jewish mother or wife is a common stereotype and stock character used by Jewish comedians and authors whenever they discuss actual or fictional situations involving their mothers and other mother-like females in their lives. The stereotype generally involves a nagging, overprotective, manipulative, controlling, smothering, and overbearing mother or wife, one who persists in interfering in her children's lives long after they have become adults. Lisa Aronson Fontes describes the stereotype as one of "endless caretaking and boundless self-sacrifice" by a mother who demonstrates her love by "constant overfeeding and unremitting solicitude about every aspect of her children's and husband's welfare". An example of the Jewish mother stereotype is the character Sylvia Fine from TV series The Nanny.