Antigone Books

Description

In the pathbreaking tradition of Backlash and The Second Shift, this provocative book shows how mothers are systematically disadvantaged and made dependent by a society that exploits those who perform its most critical work. Drawing on hundreds of interviews and the most current research in economics, history, child development, and law, Ann Crittenden proves that although women have been liberated, mothers have not.

The costs of motherhood are everywhere apparent. College-educated women pay a "mommy tax" of over a million dollars in lost income when they have a child. Family law deprives mothers of financial equality in marriage. Stay-at-home mothers and their work are left out of the GDP, the labor force, and the social safety net. With passion and clarity, Crittenden demonstrates that proper rewards for mothers' essential contributions would only enhance the general welfare.

Bold, galvanizing, full of innovative solutions, The Price of Motherhood offers a much-needed accounting of the price that mothers pay for performing the most important job in the world.
Ann Crittenden is the author of Killing the Sacred Cows: Bold Ideas for a New Economy. A former reporter for The New York Times and a Pulitzer Prize nominee, she has also been a financial writer for Newsweek, a visiting lecturer at M.I.T. and Yale, and an economics commentator on CBS News. Her articles have appeared in Fortune, The Nation, Foreign Affairs, McCalls, and Working Woman, among others. She lives with her husband and son in Washington, D.C.
Award-winning economics journalist Crittenden argues that although women have been liberated, mothers have not. Drawing on hundreds of interviews around the country and the most current research in economics, sociology, history, child development, and law, she shows how mothers are systematically disadvantaged and made dependent by a society that praises the virtues of child-rearing but undervalues and even exploits their labor.

The price of motherhood is everywhere apparent. College-educated women pay a "mommy tax" of more than a million dollars in lost income when they have a child. Family law deprives mothers of financial equality in marriage. Most child care is excluded from the Gross Domestic Product, at-home mothers are not counted in the labor force, and the social safety net simply leaves them out. With passion and clarity, Crittenden dismantles the principal argument for the status quo: that motherhood is a woman's "choice." She presents a powerful case for maternal equality on the grounds that proper recognition and reward for mothers' essential contributions would enhance the welfare of not only women and children, but of everyone.

Galvanizing and full of innovative solutions, The Price of Motherhood offers a much-needed accounting of the penalties mothers pay to carry out society's most important job.
"Welcome to America, the land where having a child is the worst economic decision a woman can make . . . an important and well-argued study of the huge disparity between the value that mothers produce and the price they are forced to pay."—Catherine Arnst, Business Week
"Powerful and important . . . Written with a fine passion, The Price of Motherhood challenges the received ideas of economists, feminists and conservatives alike and ought to be read by all of them."—Paul Starr, The New York Times Book Review

"Fascinating . . . shows how women have been consistently denied social and, more importantly, monetary equality for raising their families."—Susan Straight, Los Angeles Times

"A scathing indictment of policies that cheat mothers . . . Crittenden turns out a fresh, persuasive argument. Sure to inspire vigorous debate."—Megan Rutherford, Time

"A landmark book."—The San Francisco Chronicle

"Motherhood may be sacred to Americans, but actual mothering is consistently devalued and disrespected. This profoundly important book challenges us to examine how much we really care about children—or about the work of caring in general."—Barbara Ehrenreich, author of Nickel and Dimed

"Those who nurture young children are essentially punished for performing the very task that everyone agrees is essential . . . Crittenden proposes a unique solution to the motherhood penalty: Consider the work done by mothers a vital national service akin to that performed by soldiers."—Glamour

"Welcome to America, the land where having a child is the worst economic decision a woman can make . . . an important and well-argued study of the huge disparity between the value that mothers produce and the price they are forced to pay."—Catherine Arnst, Business Week

"How do we bring children up without putting women down? In this important, well-written book, Ann Crittenden offers serious answers to this preeminent feminist-and human-question. A must read."—Arlie Russell Hochschild, author of The Time Bind and The Second Shift

"A bracing call to arms . . . Crittenden rows against the ideological current and 0has the temerity to suggest a mind-blowingly sensible alteration of America's present parenting arrangements."—Ben Dickinson, Elle

"A lively and compelling account of the ways maternal altruism subsidizes our entire economy but imposes high costs on mothers themselves. Ann Crittenden deftly combines facts, figures, interviews, and personal stories to document the unfair—and inefficient—distribution of the costs of rearing children. She has written a great and important book."—Nancy Folbre, author of The Invisible Heart

"Passionately argued and closely researched, this manifesto for mothers should spark plenty of debate over all the right issues."—Katha Pollitt, author of Reasonable Creatures: Essays on Women and Feminism

"Heavily supported with studies, her clearly stated, intelligently developed arguments include historical background and anecdotal evidence that conduces to making the thought-provoking book easy to read. Crittenden explores motherhood in the U.S. from shortly after the country was founded to the present. She demonstrates that, in white-collar as well as blue-collar jobs, the earning gap between childless women and working mothers is significantly greater than the one between childless women and men, and she describes the types of discrimination working mothers typically encounter in the workplace and society at large. She maintains that feminists, afraid of being stereotyped by their detractors, have abandoned working mothers, focusing instead on women who have chosen career over family—in other words, who have chosen to take on the traditional male role. Crittenden's critique of our treatment of mothers, working or otherwise, may prove vital to continued efforts to improve the status of all women in the U.S."—Bonnie Johnston, Booklist

About the Author

Ann Crittenden is the author of Killing the Sacred Cows: Bold Ideas for a New Economy. A former reporter for The New York Times and a Pulitzer Prize nominee, she has also been a financial writer for Newsweek, a visiting lecturer at M.I.T. and Yale, and an economics commentator on CBS News. Her articles have appeared in Fortune, The Nation, Foreign Affairs, McCalls, and Working Woman, among others. She lives with her husband and son in Washington, D.C.

Praise for The Price of Motherhood: Why the Most Important Job in the World is Still the Least Valued…

"Written with a fine passion, The Price of Motherhood challenges the received ideas of economists, feminists and conservatives alike and ought to be read by all of them."-Paul Starr, The New York Times Book Review

"A bracing call to arms...Crittenden rows against the ideological current and has the temerity to suggest a mind-blowingly sensible alteration of America's present parenting arrangements."-Ben Dickinson, Elle

"Fascinating...shows how women have been consistently denied social and, more importantly, monetary equality for raising their families."-Susan Straight, Los Angeles Times

"A scathing indictment of policies that cheat mothers...Crittenden turns out a fresh, persuasive argument. Sure to inspire vigorous debate."-Megan Rutherford, Time

"Powerful and important"--The New York Times