Mothering in an Increasingly Uncertain Economic Marketplace: Revisiting the Call for Broader Conceptualizations of Parenthood and Paid Work

Abstract

Just over ten years has passed since my coauthor, Heather Dillaway, and I added to the discourse on paid work and motherhood. At that time the cultural discourse on "stay-at-home" and "working" mothers presented a dichotomy that largely ignored the complex, diverse experiences of women and work. This follow-up essay explores recent changes within the United States and the impact these changes have had on the conceptualizations of parenting and work. This updated piece describes how decreased economic security among individuals within a global economy has helped to alter the discourse on mothers. I argue that the discourse is now less about the dichotomous divide between working and stay-athome mothers, and more about mothers securing their economic citizenship through their children via “intensive” mothering.