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Health care Quote by Susan J. Douglas

“At the same time that middle- and upper-middle-class mothers were urged to pipe Mozart into their wombs when they're pregnant so their kids would come out perfectly tuned, the government told poor mothers to get the hell out of the house and get to work--no more children's aid for them. Mothers…” quote by Susan J. Douglas
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““At the same time that middle- and upper-middle-class mothers were urged to pipe Mozart into their wombs when they're pregnant so their kids would come out perfectly tuned, the government told poor mothers to get the hell out of the house and get to work--no more children's aid for them. Mothers like us--with health care, laptops, and Cuisinarts--are supposed to replicate the immaculate bedrooms we see in Pottery Barn Kids catalogs, with their designer sheets and quilts, one toy and one stuffed animal atop a gleaming white dresser, and a white rug on the floor that has never been exposed to the shavings from hamster cages, Magic Markers accidentally dropped with their caps off, or Welche's grape juice… we've been encouraged to turn our backs on other mothers who pick their kids' clothes out of other people's trash and sometimes can't buy a can of beans to feed them. How has it come to seem perfectly reasonable--even justified-- that one class of mother is suppoed to sew her baby's diapers out of Egyptian cotton from that portion of the Nile blessed by the god Osiris while another class of mother can't afford a single baby aspirin?””

Susan J. Douglas

About This Quote

Source Book: *The Mommy Myth* by Susan J. Douglas, 2000

The quote critiques how middle‑class mothers are pressured to achieve an idealized, consumer‑driven perfection while poor mothers are forced into labor with minimal support, exposing class‑based double standards in parenting expectations.

In simple terms: Middle‑class mothers are idealized; poor mothers are pressured and unsupported.

Key Takeaway

Recognize and challenge class bias in parenting support.

Themes

class inequality parenting expectations consumer culture government policy social justice

Mood

critical reflective empathetic

Type

social commentary critical analysis cultural critique

When to use this quote

  • policy debates
  • social welfare reform
  • parenting workshops
  • public health campaigns
  • media analysis

Key Concepts

Intersectionality social stratification maternal labor cultural critique

Questions to Reflect On

  • How do societal expectations shape parenting across classes?
  • What policies could level support for all mothers?
A Different Perspective

The idealized image may ignore practical constraints and diverse family needs.

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