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Shadow Mothers
Nannies, Au Pairs, and the Micropolitics of Mothering
Language:
English
Published/Copyright:
2011
About this book
Shadow Mothers shines new light 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. Cameron Lynne Macdonald illuminates both sides of an unequal and complicated relationship. Based on in-depth interviews with professional women and childcare providers— immigrant and American-born nannies as well as European au pairs—Shadow Mothers locates the roots of individual skirmishes between mothers and their childcare providers in broader cultural and social tensions. Macdonald argues that these conflicts arise from unrealistic ideals about mothering and inflexible career paths and work schedules, as well as from the devaluation of paid care work.
Author / Editor information
Contributor: Cameron Lynne Macdonald
Cameron Lynne Macdonald is Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
Topics
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Frontmatter
i -
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Contents
vii -
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Preface
ix -
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
xiii -
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1. Introduction: Childcare on Trial
1 -
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2. Mother-Employers: Blanket Accountability at Home and at Work
17 -
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3. Nannies on the Market
42 -
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4. “They’re Too Poor and They All Smoke”: Ethnic Logics and Childcare Hiring Decisions
66 -
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5. Managing a Home-Centered Childhood: Intensive Mothering by Proxy
85 -
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6. Creating Shadow Mothers
105 -
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7. The “Third-Parent” Ideal
128 -
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8. Nanny Resistance Strategies
143 -
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9. Partnerships: Seeking a New Model
164 -
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10. Untangling the Mother-Nanny Knot
196 -
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Appendix: Research Methods
207 -
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Notes
219 -
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Bibliography
253 -
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Index
267
Publishing information
Pages and Images/Illustrations in book
eBook published on:
July 22, 2019
eBook ISBN:
9780520947818
Pages and Images/Illustrations in book
Main content:
288
eBook ISBN:
9780520947818
Keywords for this book
contemporary motherhood; modern issues; nannies; micropolitics; mothering; paid childcare; american nannies; caregivers; hired mothers; childcare providers; au pairs; europe; western world; professional women; women in the workforce; parenthood; relationships; immigrant caregivers; maternity; childrearing; cultural perspective; conflicts; career paths; paid care; work schedules; gender; parenting; cultural social; complex bonds; nonfiction; motherhood; attachment; social tensions
