Until recently, I had never heard of Phyllis Schafly. Then her name came up in two books that I read in quick succession. She has been a powerful force over the last 40 years in the war against moms. Ironically she is a working mother herself who has campaigned against equal rights for women every step of the way. The work that she and other conservatives have done to counter the women's rights movement has successfully sidelined the Equal Rights Amendment, limited access to reproductive healthcare and branded anyone who supports subsidized childcare or paid parental leave as a dangerous socialist.
If that is news to you, you need to read this book. I knew that the cards in the United States were stacked against mothers, but it isn't something that we talk about. The war on moms is fought quietly and under cover of misleading language. Looking at the systems that other countries have in place to support parents really illustrates the disparity between our sink or swim set up and places where paid maternity and paternity leaves are followed by flexible work schedules and high quality subsidized child care. Get ready to get angry, then go out and do something about it! Write some letters, call your congressmen, our children and families deserve to be the number one priority.
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