The Motherhood Manifesto: What America’s Moms Want – and What To Do About It
From Publishers Weekly
A straightforward agenda by political activists Blades and Rowe-Finkbeiner advocates a seriously thought-out, workable scheme for empowering mothers at home and in the workplace. The book is snappily structured in chapters that correspond to the letters making up the word mother: M is for “Maternity/Paternity Leave”; O for “Open Flexible Work”; T for “TV You Choose and Other After-School Programs”; H for “Healthcare for All Kids”; E for “Excellent Child Care”; and R for “Realistic and Fair Wages.” In order to drive home these demands, the authors sound some alarming facts and statistics: although nearly three-quarters of American mother have jobs outside of the home, they tend to earn 27% less than men, while single moms earn 34%–44% less. The national scandal of skyrocketing health care costs bankrupts families and pushes moms into marginalized jobs, while working mothers leave children home to unsupervised TV watching and substandard child care. …
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As a writer who feels like it’s time to move beyond the so-called “Mommy Wars,” I eagerly awaited the chance to read “The Motherhood Manifesto.” I was not disappointed–this is truly the book that I have been hoping that someone would write. Blades and Rowe-Finkbeiner describe the substantial problems that familes face, and lay out proactive steps that mothers can take to work toward a just and equitable society for all of us. The book is extremely well researched. My impression after reading the first few chapters was to feel angry that there is so little U. S. public policy that truly supports parents, and also very sad that we have thus far settled for such a pathetic situation. Thinking parents, women and men: it is a matter of economic strategy as well as compassion to support familes with flexible work schedules, benefits, and fair wages. Joan Blades and Kristen Rowe-Finkbeiner have incredible credentials to launch a new movement. Read this book, [...] to find out what you can do to join their call to action.
As the author of “The World Split Open: How the Modern Women’s Movement Changed America,” (Penguin, 2001), I have long waited for a book that explains why women and mothers are not part of “identity politics; but an essentail ingredient of the public good. “The Motherhood Manifesto” offers the reader a clear, lucid, description of the discrimination that mothers face, and what we can do to rectify this injustice. It addresses what I have called The Care Crisis–the fact that mothers have entered the paid labor force during the last 40 years, but American society has found no answer to the vital questions: Who will take care of our nation’s children,elderly, and our communities?
For those who want to restore democracy in the United States, here is the recipe for doing just that–creating a society in which caregiving and work each receive their due, but in a balanced and humane manner. Must reading for anyone who cares about the burdens working mothers and families face under our current antiquated system of assuming that each person and each family is wholly self-reliant.
The minds behind MoveOn.org tend to get it right, and this book is no exception. Throught-provoking and insightful, and well worth a price tag of less than ten bucks!