On the basis of 55 non-working and 93 working married women residing in urban Delhi, this study compares the motherhood ideology of employed and stay-at-home married women. Drawing on Hays’ (1996) Intensive Mothering Ideology and Blair-Loy’s (2003) notion of ‘competing devotions’, the study categorizes women’s motherhood ideologies into three orientations—traditionalist, ambivalent and ambivalent-progressive—to examine how socio-economic and cultural positioning shapes the degree to which hegemonic maternal norms are internalized or contested. The study aimed to identify the core ideals of motherhood that are prevalent among married women in Delhi. Additionally, the study investigates the effects of culture, religion, age and education on motherhood ideologies. The respondents’ motherhood ideologies were recorded using a five-point Likert scale, with five denoting strong agreement and one indicative of strong disagreement. The analysis employs both descriptive and empirical techniques, including the OLS regression. The results emphasize the need for a nuanced understanding of motherhood ideals, considering the diverse socio-economic and cultural contexts in which women navigate their roles. The findings contribute to discussions on gender roles, work-family dynamics and the impact of socio-cultural factors on women’s choices in contemporary urban India.