Description
Book SynopsisFocuses on an aspect of contemporary motherhood often hidden from view: the need for paid childcare by women returning to the workforce, and the complex bonds mothers forge with the 'shadow mothers' they hire. The author illuminates both sides of an unequal and complicated relationship.
Trade Review"Offers surprising and layered insights into the ... modern mommy phenomenon played out every day from coast to coast." Boston Globe "Sparks important insights for mother-employers and their employees... And along the way, it offers society and individuals a way to create positive mother-childcare worker relationships." Foreword "An interesting read... [Macdonald's] findings are thought-provoking" -- Kate Burns Law Society Journal
Table of ContentsPreface 1. Introduction: Childcare on Trial 2. Mother-Employers: Blanket Accountability at Home and at Work 3. Nannies on the Market 4. "They're Too Poor and They All Smoke": Ethnic Logics and Childcare Hiring Decisions 5. Managing a Home-Centered Childhood: Intensive Mothering by Proxy 6. Creating Shadow Mothers 7. The "Third-Parent" Ideal 8. Nanny Resistance Strategies 9. Partnerships: Seeking a New Model 10. Untangling the Mother-Nanny Knot Appendix: Research Methods Notes Bibliography Index Contents Preface
