Activity Quote by Barbara Ehrenreich
“No culture on earth outside of mid-century suburban America has ever deployed one woman per child without simultaneously assigning her such major productive activities as weaving, farming, gathering, temple maintenance, and tent-building. The reason is that full-time, one-on-one child-raising is not good for women or children.”
About This Quote
Source Book: Nickel and Dimed, 2001
Societies that require mothers to stay home full‑time hinder both women's and children's development by limiting women's productive contributions.
In simple terms: Full‑time mothering limits women's work and child growth.
Encourage shared parenting and women's economic participation.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- policy reform
- parental leave
- community childcare
- women's education
Key Concepts
Questions to Reflect On
- How can societies redesign childcare to benefit both genders?
- What policies support shared parenting?
Balancing childcare with work is complex and may face cultural resistance.