Ann Crittenden

The book was a well-researched exploration of motherhood. I found her discussion of the split in the feminist movement. One part affirmed that certain types of work were beneficial and deserved compensation. This included cooking, child education and nursing. Another segment of feminists, tended to regard womens' work as completely unimportant and inherently demeaning. The latter force tended to have prominence in the '80's creating a large rift between working women and those who stayed at home.
The book seemed a bit out of date in that this rift has gotten better in recent years. Women who grew up knowing they could go into any profession tend to want greater work-life balance and some companies now do a better job of offering it (some of them). Also now that a generation has grown up with no one learning home-ec, it's easier to recognize it's importance.
Her chapter on divorce was truly terrifying. The financial impact on women is large and often leaves them using welfare as a form of "unemployment benefits" when they have to stop work suddenly to care for children.
At the same time, I understand why a man would want to start a second family. The courts might be bad at enforcing child support, but they're also bad about enforcing visitation rights. If a woman is able to force her husband to be secondary in her children's lives, they will almost always choose to care for the parent who they saw more on a day to day basis in old age. This creates a large incentive for men to provide for children who they are able to be around and who are more likely to care for them in their old age. This intangible source of wealth also could be considered.
Most of her solutions were unrealistic, but informative none-the-less. Reforming social security so that both partners got an equal share while they were married could work if it ever got out of committee.… (más)