A Mother's Place - by Susan Chira (Paperback)

About the Book

In this "passionate defense of working mothers" ("Parenting"), a leading "New York Times" journalist documents and debunks society's backlash against working mothers to present a new vision of motherhood.

Book Synopsis

A leading "New York Times" journalist documents and debunks society's backlash against working mothers and presents a new vision of motherhood. "A Mother's Place," which evolved from a series of front page articles that Susan Chira wrote for "The New York Times," exposes the distortions that have wrongly convinced many women that "good mothers stay at home." Chira demonstrates how women can challenge the conventional wisdom and strike the balance that best suits them and their children. Reviewing the latest scientific research, Chira shows that, contrary to popular belief, children of working mothers turn out just as well as those raised by mothers who stay home, and she explains how the media, the courts, and politicians distort this data to suit their own agendas. The reality that most experts have chosen to ignore, Chira argues, is that a mother's happiness and satisfaction have a much more profound effect on her children than whether or not she works.

From the Back Cover

Mothers today are under siege. Society belittles mothers at home while telling mothers at work they are blighting their children's lives. Susan Chira, a veteran New York Times journalist, separates myth from reality, showing how the media, the courts, and politicians have conducted a backlash against working mothers that hurts all women. Here, she reviews the latest scientific research and shows, contrary to popular belief, that children of working mothers turn out just as well as those raised by stay-at-home mothers. But instead of telling mothers where their place should be, Chira wants to reframe this distorted debate and help mothers get where they want to be, whether at home or at work.

Review Quotes

"Important and well-reasoned book. Working mothers could not ask for a better companion."-- "New York Times""Chira has elevated the debate...An ambitious book, clearly intended to retire the field and enable working mothers to get on with it."-- "Los Angeles Times""A hand-holder for all those mothers who see themselves labeled as selfish and unearing because they choose to bring home the paycheck."-- "Kirkus Reviews""A passionate defense of working mothers."-- "Parenting""A controversial work. You cannot read it without thinking. And thinking...At the very least, Chira has done something heroic by really analyzing the issue."-- "San Diego Union-Tribune"