The Reproduction of Inequality - (Health, Society, and Inequality) by Katherine Mason (Paperback)

About the Book

"The Reproduction of Inequality examines women's work on their bodies during pregnancy and postpartum; while mothers typically focus on the health benefits of their choices about breastfeeding or prenatal diet and exercise, these practices also display and perpetuate status inequalities from one generation to the next"--

Book Synopsis

An important analysis of the difference class makes in reproductive health choices

Can you run a marathon, drink coffee, eat fish, or fly on a plane while pregnant? Such questions are just the tip of the iceberg for how most pregnant women's bodies are managed, surveilled, and scrutinized during pregnancy. The Reproduction of Inequality examines the intense social pressure that expectant and new mothers face when it comes to their health and body-care choices.

Drawing on interviews with dozens of pregnant women and new mothers from poor, middle-class, and mixed-class backgrounds, Katherine Mason paints a vivid picture of the immense weight of expectation that comes with the early stages of motherhood. The women in Mason's study universally sought to give their children a healthy start in life; however, their chosen approaches varied based on their socio-economic class. Whereas middle-class mothers attempted a complete lifestyle change and absolute devotion to the achievement and maintenance of "the healthy pregnant body," poorer women made strategic choices about which health goals to prioritize on a limited budget, lacking the economic and cultural capital required to speak and perfectly adhere to the language of "good health." The unfortunate result is that middle-class mothers are more likely to be seen by others and by themselves as "good" parents, whereas the efforts of working-class mothers are often misread as displaying inadequate concern about their health and that of their child. This in turn contributes to longstanding stereotypes about poor families and communities, and limits their children's chances for upward mobility. The Reproduction of Inequality is a compelling analysis of the impact of class on new mothers' approaches to health and wellness, and a sobering examination of how inequality shapes mothers' efforts to maximize their own health and that of their children.

Review Quotes

"The Reproduction of Inequality is a well-written and clearly organized book that examines the sociology of human reproduction and the social pressures that women encounter regarding pregnancy, birth, and the post-partum period."-- "Affilia: Feminist Inquiry into Social Work"

"The Reproduction of Inequality shows how adopting so-called 'healthy lifestyles' during pregnancy and post-partum is not just about health. It provides privileged mothers a way to display their social status and transmit it to their children, while worsening gendered inequalities at home. A must-read for anyone interested in social inequality, gender, family, and health!"-- "Abigail C. Saguy, author of Come Out, Come Out, Whoever You Are"

"For everyone who cares deeply about maternal and child health and addressing health inequities, this book is a gift. Delivering an insightful and sophisticated analysis of how biological reproduction is intertwined with social reproduction, Katherine Mason elegantly reveals the cultural meanings and stakes of reproductive body projects in the twenty-first century. The Reproduction of Inequality is a truly wonderful book."-- "Miranda R. Waggoner, author of The Zero Trimester: Pre-Pregnancy Care and the Politics of Reproductive Risk"

"From gestational diabetes to drinking coffee, The Reproduction of Inequality maps how pregnant bodies are subject to increasingly high levels of medical and moral scrutiny. Theorizing pregnancy, birth, and post-partum conditions through the lens of gendered, classed, and racialized 'reproductive body projects, ' Kate Mason captures the contradictions in the expectations for perfect designer pregnancies in the face of eroded infrastructures for healthcare, childcare, and general support for childbirth and childrearing. Based on rich interviews, this book tells moving, in-depth personal stories while contributing to important debates in sociology, gender studies, and health-related fields"-- "Miliann Kang, author of The Managed Hand: Race, Gender and the Body in Beauty Service Work"

"The Reproduction of Inequality provides a much-needed demonstration of the ways that 'health' has become a rigid moralized ideology reinforcing racialized class divides between mothers. Professor Mason insightfully instructs that while nearly all mothers and pregnant people want what is best for their babies, only those with resources and privilege are trusted to make the "right" choices -- self- sacrificing, responsible, well-informed decisions - on everything from having a cup of coffee while pregnant to regaining control over a postpartum body, and perhaps most important, to inculcating a near-religious devotion to 'health' in one's children."-- "Linda M. Blum, author of At the Breast: Ideologies of Motherhood and Breastfeeding in the Contemporary US"

About the Author

Katherine Mason is Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology and the Women's & Gender Studies Program at Wheaton College. She is the co-editor of The Oxford Handbook of the Sociology of Body and Embodiment.