Books and Articles

In the summer of 2007, our reading group read and discussed the following three books:

Get to Work by Linda Hirshman

To Hell With All That by Caitlin Flanagan

Perfect Madness:  Motherhood in the Age of Anxiety by Judith Warner

 -  A good summary of Hirshman's argument is contained in her editorial:  "Off to Work She Should Go"  by Linda Hirshman  NYT  April 25, 2007 

-  A fair summary of some of Warner's points are in her editorial:  "The Full-Time Blues"  by Judith Warner NYT  July 24, 2007  

In the summer of 2008, our reading group read and discussed the following books:

The Feminine Mystique  by Betty Friedan

The Feminine Mistake by Leslie Bennetts

Opting In:  Having a Child Without Losing Yourself by Amy Richards

I Don't Know How She Does It by Allison Pearson

The Time Bind by Arlie Hochschild

Articles on the "Opt-Out" Revolution

-  "The Opt-Out Revolution" by Lisa Belkin  NYT  Oct. 26, 2003.  Belkin coins the phrase "opt-out" to describe a new trend of highly educated, wealthy women who choose to leave the workforce for the home.

-  "The Case for Staying Home" by Claudia Wallis  Time March 22, 2004  

 -  "The Opt-Out Revolution Revisited"  by Joan Williams The American Prospect March 5, 2007  

A longer report by Joan Williams "Opt-Out or Pushed Out?  How the Press Covers Work/Family Conflict:  The Untold Story of Why Women Leave the Workforce"

-  "The Wives of Others"  by Rebecca Mead, The New Yorker April 16, 2007  

-  "The Invisible Mommies"  by Sharon Lerner  Salon  May 23, 2007  

-  "Stretched to the Limit, Women Stall March to Work" by Eduardo Porter, NYT March 2, 2002

-  "Mommy Books:  More Buzz than Buyers"  by Mokoto Rich  NYT  April 25, 2007  

-  "After Baby, Boss Comes Calling"  Lisa Belkin  NYT  May 17, 2007 

 -  "Exploiting the Gender Gap" by Warren Farrell  NYT Sept. 5, 2005  

-  "Married and Single Parents Spend More Time with Children, Study Shows"  by Robert Pear  NYT  Oct.  17, 2006  

-  "What Shamu Taught Me About a Happy Marriage"  by Amy Sutherland  NYT  June 25, 2006  

[this article is actually irrelevant to the topic of working moms, but is a fun piece about how to mold husbands using techniques from animal trainers]

A Women Defends Housewives in the 1970s, then is divorced in the 21st century and rethinks her life choices

-  "The Satisfactions of Housewife and Motherhood in an Age of 'Do Your Own Thing'"  by Terry Martin Hekker  NYT  Dec. 20, 1977  

-  "Paradise Lost, Domestic Division"  by Terry Martin Hekker  NYT  Jan.1, 2006  

Housework

-  "You Want it Clean?  You Clean it"  by Lisa Belkin, NYT  April 9, 2006 

-  "When Mom and Dad Share it All"  by Lisa Belkin  NYT  June 15, 2008.  Article on couples who commit to sharing housework and childcare 50/50

Working Women Worldwide

-  "Career Women in Japan Find a Blocked Path"  by Martin Fackler  NYT  Aug. 6, 2007  

-  [Germany] "Quoth the Raven: I Bake Cookies Too" by Mark Landler  NYT  April 23, 2006  

-  "No Babies"  by Russell Shorto  NYT  June 29m 2008.  Report on the European baby shortage.