The War on Moms On Life in a Family-Unfriendly Nation

by Lerner, Sharon

• ISBN13: 9780470177099
• ISBN10: 0470177098
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2010-04-26
• Publisher: Wiley

Summary

Why life is harder on American families than it's been in decades-the book that takes the blame away from moms and puts it where it really belongsPressed for time and money, unable to find decent affordable daycare, wracked with guilt at falling short of the mythic supermom ideal-working and non-working American mothers alike have it harder today than they have in decades, and they are worse off than many of their peers around the world. Why? Because they're raising their kids in a family-unfriendly nation that virtually sets them up to fail. The War on Moms exposes the stress put on families by an outdated system still built around the idea that women can afford not to work. It tells the truth that overworked, stressed-out American moms need to hear-that they're not alone, and they're not to blame. Exposes a lack of reasonable and flexible work opportunities as the real cause of the supposed rift between employed and stay-at-home mothers Explodes the myths about supermoms, slacker dads, opt-out moms, bootstrap moms, daycare options, and make-$$$-from-home scams Uncovers the widespread, brutal reality of having no paid maternity leave Offers portraits of real women-across social classes and across the country-struggling with issues that will strike a familiar chord with most Americans Explains why American women have it hard and why it's not going to get any easier until the country dramatically changes courseThe War on Moms turns the "mommy wars" debate on its head by arguing that a mother's real "enemy" is not other women, but a nationwide indifference to the cultural and economic realities facing parents and families in the United States today.

Author Biography

SHARON LERNER writes regularly about women and politics for the Nation. A former public-radio producer and Village Voice columnist, her written work has appeared in the New York Times, the American Prospect, and Slate.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	p. v
Introduction	p. 1
Falling: When Needs Bring Families Down	p. 6
Supermom Returns: Doing It All without Having It All	p. 23
Til Dishes Do Us Part: The Problem with Blaming Men	p. 37
The Problems We Wish We Had: A Couple of Choices, None of Them Good	p. 57
Testing the Bootstraps: What Exactly Is Keeping the Women of Mississippi Down?	p. 76
Congratulations, Now Back to Work: Keeping Mothers and Babies Apart	p. 93
Good Day Care Is Hard to Find: The Working Mom Crisis	p. 121
The Elusive Part-Time Solution: The Stay-at-Home Mom Crisis	p. 141
Baby Strike: The International Motherhood Experiment	p. 160
The Blame Game: How and Why We Wound Up in Last Place	p. 172
Epilogue	p. 188
Notes	p. 197
Index	p. 211
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