MOTHERHOOD DISCOUNTED

McConnell argues that there’s nothing more American than the ideal of motherhood—especially when the exploitation of mothers benefits capitalism.

The United States, Oman, and Papua New Guinea are the only three nations on Earth not offering paid parental leave, per the author. McConnell, a lawyer, asserts that this is due to the autonomy myth—the mentality that’s been responsible for keeping women and other marginalized groups down since the Pilgrims first set foot on Plymouth Rock. She perfectly encapsulates this mindset, defining it as believing “Independence is good and normal; dependence is depraved and abnormal.” The author makes her case in supremely cogent and delightfully pointed terms, conducting an intensive interrogation of female oppression: “Not coincidentally, the positive sides of these [independent] values are all manly virtues. Women are traditionally associated with dependency and assigned the work of caring for needy dependents, so denigration of dependency is fundamentally misogynistic.” And just so readers don’t start thinking the autonomy myth has only been weaponized against motherhood, McConnell explores how it’s also been used in other aspects of American life, including slavery. “One of the arguments against providing any assistance to the newly freed was that it would breed dependence,” she observes. The author starts strong with her well-researched (the text is supported by an extensive body of scholarly endnotes) takedown of what she sees as the perversity of the American economic system and never loses steam: “Each of us arrives in a state of debt,” she writes. “Far from being pathological, dependency is universal and inevitable. Once you acknowledge this basic human fact, the goal of ending dependency is revealed as truly bizarre.” Expect even the staunchest conservatives to call up their mothers with sincere thanks, and maybe even a little bit of contrition, after reading this one.

A compelling argument that will inspire robust debate.