Shadow Mothers

Nannies, Au Pairs, and the Micropolitics of Mothering

Author: Cameron Lynne Macdonald
ISBN: 9780520266971

"The working mom and her child-care worker are here to stay. So what's gotten in the way of a respectful and happy partnership between the two? In this timely, important and beautifully written book, Cameron Macdonald uncovers a powerful contradiction between a mother's high-demand job and her unrealistic ideal of mother-centered 'intensive mothering.' Studded with vivid accounts of what are often poignantly misaligned woman-to-woman encounters, Macdonald drills down to root causes and points us toward a much needed solution. This is must reading for mothers, care workers and all whose lives they touch." --Arlie Hochschild, author of The Second Shift, The Time Bind, and The Commercialization of Intimate Life ""Shadow Mothers" makes a remarkably important contribution to the study of mothering and its commodification. It provides revealing insights into the challenges of childcare brought by maternalism's staunch ideological stronghold. Nannies don't just care for children but they must

Publisher: University of California Press
Publish Date: 2010

Subjects: Political Science / Labor & Industrial Relations, Social Science / Sociology / Marriage & Family, Social Science / Women's Studies

This book is available in the following Community Centers: Women's Center (Location: Parenting)