'Opting In' to Progressive Parenthood: A Personal Challenge to Modern Mothers

[bosssio]

'Opting In' to Progressive Parenthood: A Personal Challenge to Modern Mothers

Comments

[kcobweb]

Sounds interesting - I've added it to my extra-lengthy, ever-growing reading list. Thanks!

[ailbhe]

I think I need to skip this one. I can feel my blood pressure ganging up on me just thinking about it.

[ailbhe]

One argument I make in Opting In is that I'm sympathetic to women who want to "just stay home." It's the societally accepted choice, and it makes sense that people would be seduced by it. I don't think this makes your life easier, but I think you have to explain yourself less.

She is clearly not living anywhere I've lived. Where I am, "not going out to work" is the choice one has to repeatedly justify and explain. It's called "not working" and seen as both lazy and anti-feminist.

Of course, she does also say I think the traditional feminist approach to challenging this was to simply make women more masculine, a la Hillary Clinton, but that didn't do much to change the general status of women and thus we had to look at how to make the feminine, in itself, valuable. And that's something I do believe is important...

[bosssio]

this is where I thought the conversation was interesting. how do we support women making vastly different choices in their lives, some of which include embracing "traditional women's roles" (in quotes since the actual implementation and power dynamic around the roles may be far from traditional).

I said it earlier, that at least in the US, not working when your children are young (infants/toddlers) is socially acceptable choice for mothers, but working for pay outside the home and full time is the socially acceptable choice for women. Too bad we are all both...

[ailbhe]

Uhoh, I read the comments. So much dumb. Ow.

[bosssio]

yeah, I tend to avoid comments. Reminds me why some people get paid to write and others don't...