The Wall Between Women

Book excerpt: Women today struggle to make difficult choices involving their children and their careers - so why do they simultaneously criticize, undermine, and point fingers at one another? Beth Brykman taps her personal experience as well as her professional marketing skills in crafting this well-researched look at the life-transforming issue that American mothers face. Having been both a full-time employed mother and a stay-at-home mom, Brykman interviewed more than one hundred mothers. She lets these women speak for themselves about the reality of their lives, their views of the "other" mother, and how they balance the pros and cons of motherhood.Separate chapters examine the factors that create the wall between women, stereotypes of mothers on both sides of the wall, the lives and attitudes of full-time employed mothers versus mothers who choose to stay at home, working part-time, the reality of daycare, how different women determined what was right for them and their families, coparenting and suggestions for modifying marriages, and letting go of the emotional baggage of success and guilt, including suggestions for broad cultural change.An appendix details her research methods, including questions she posed to each mother, and a useful bibliography that points readers to other resources.Filled with revealing quotations and stories from mothers themselves, this insightful discussion of contemporary motherhood reveals the many challenges facing women and offers creative solutions for overcoming those challenges.