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Title: The Price of Motherhood: Why the Most Important Job in the World is Still the Least Valued by Ann Crittenden ISBN: 0-8050-6619-5 Publisher: Owl Books Pub. Date: 01 January, 2002 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $15.00

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Average Customer Rating: 3.9 (48 reviews)

Rating: 5
Summary: Time to change things for American moms (and dads)
Comment: In this well-written, passionate, and fascinating book, Ann Crittenden challenges us all to look at the subtle and not-so-subtle ways in which we make life harder than it should be for parents (especially moms). So many of us care enormously about both our families and our work, and too many of us are forced to choose between the two, to either drop out of the workforce when we have kids or to work ridiculous hours that don't allow us to be there for our families. As Crittenden points out, with paid parental leave, a fairer income tax structure that doesn't penalize spouses who work, more high-quality and affordable child care options, and a richer array of flexible and part-time work options, many more women would choose to and would be able to combine work and family, which would be better for women, for families, and for society as a whole. Crittenden notes that feminism largely succeeded in opening up many previously male fields to women, but only if women will play by the male rules (with the result that the gap between mothers' and childless women's wages is now larger than the gap between childless women's and men's wages). Shouldn't the next task be to transform the workplace so that it works better for everyone, including parents? So many other countries have done this -- why not the US?

Crittenden is sure to be criticized by some as another rich whiner who chose to have a child, can afford not to work full-time, and yet isn't happy with the results of her choices. This, I believe, is a superficial and short-sighted criticism. Crittenden counters that choosing to have a child is not like choosing to have a pet. Today's children will be supporting these nay-sayers in their old age. We all have a stake in making sure that families are supported and that children get the best start in life that they possibly can. Crittenden's book is a must-read.

Rating: 5
Summary: A fantastic book that we ignore or excoriate at our peril.
Comment: Anne Crittenden's argument, that motherhood is given lipservice as "the world's most important job," but that the performance of this putatively vital task leaves American women at risk of poverty and marginalization, is so sensible, and so brilliantly documented, that I almost wept as I read it. Who can disagree with her points? Who in their right mind can suggest that the reigning status quo, in which mothers and their children, in the event of a divorce, should be left virtually penniless, or that women should be expected to support their children while society makes absolutely no provisions for fine, free daycare -- in fact, has effectively worked against decent daycare through its immigration policies, as Crittenden clearly spells out? Crittenden doesn't "whine," as some of the reviewers on amazon claim. She does the opposite of whine, a verb that suggests a childish narcissism and pouting sloth. To the contrary, the author lays out her compassionate, precise and thoughtful arguments, point by searing point, and then supports each position through extensive documentation and reporting. To those who think they don't need mothers, now that they're all grown up, supporting themselves, and not having children themselves, think again, and read Crittenden's book more carefully: the workers of tomorrow -- the people who will support you through their taxes, who will care for you in the hospital as you age and your needs rapidly mount, who will keep the food coming to your table and the utilities coming to your seniors housing project, and on and on, for we are and will always be obligate social primates -- well, these workers begin life as dependent infants who must be reared to the point where they can do what needs to be done when *you* no longer can. It's time we share a slice of the nation's economic pie with the people who help bake it -- mothers. Thank you, Anne Crittenden, for standing up for all of us.

Rating: 4
Summary: Worth the Read
Comment: This book offers a searing criticism of the ways that mothers pay a price in our society. I read this book for my own edification and loved her honesty. It's written in easy to read style.

I also used excerpts of this book in one of my women's studies classes and the students enjoyed it. Many of the re-entry students actually told me that they either checked it out at the library or purchased the book.

I perused the reviews and was amused at how some reviewers felt that this book was whiny. Why is it that when we disagree we have to say that she (usually a woman under attack!) is whining. Motherhood isn't all bread and roses and this book explains why.

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