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A review by alassel
Homeward Bound: Why Women are Embracing the New Domesticity by Emily Matchar
5.0
I'm not sure where I saw the review for this book, but it was recent and was intriguing enough to send me right over to Amazon to pick this book up for my next nonfiction read. My friends and I are squarely in the demographic that the book discusses (namely young women ages 20-35), and as I have several friends who chose to stay home with their children and most of us also craft, there you go. I was also interested in this book as it is written with a lot of data and studies discussed, in fact about 15% of the book is the citations section, so that looked like a great reason to read it.
The author covers a lot of ground in this book, using a combination of personal interviews and scientific studies to investigate why so many women are becoming housewives again. The options of running a handmade business via Etsy or running a lifestyle blog as methods/means to support oneself are covered, along with the negatives of these options which are namely that very few people do support themselves or bring in any significant money at all by these ventures. The corporate culture, especially in the US with its woman-unfriendly and particularly mother-unfriendly policies, is explored as one of the reasons why young mothers choose to stay home with their children. The "backlash" against 80s/90s consumerist culture and feminist "have it all" families that produced these young women is discussed throughout the book, as many young women do not want to live the lives that their stressed, overworked mothers did. The concept of "feminism went too far" is brought up several times, as well as the dangers of too many women choosing to go back to being housewives and thus removing themselves from corporate culture and the possibility of changing it still further. The recent economic slowdown is another reason presented as pushing young women (and some men) out of corporate culture, especially if they don't feel like they are creatively challenged or fulfilled there. The ever-increasing bar for "natural parenting" is listed as well, as so many time-consuming parenting methods (attachment parenting, baby led weaning, growing/making all food, cloth diapering, etc.) can be used to justify why a woman should stay home with her children. And finally, the detriments of staying home are discussed, including the lack of financial stability and the lack of progress on social fronts that could benefit women who do not have the luxury of maternal leave, sick time, or staying home with their children.
Overall this is a very interesting book, with some controversial claims and a lot of discussion around them. I agree with the points that corporate culture in the US needs to change, and I understand why those policies drive many women to stay home with their children. The lure of staying home as either a mother or housewife is very seductive (it's even calling my name at times), but this book makes some good points for why it's harder to do than some women realize. And on the flip side, the author also points out that house work is vastly unappreciated, and that some of the crafting and DIY movements are helping to change that and move back to where the work that both husband and wife did was valued even as it was different (i.e. in colonial times). I'd definitely take a look at this book if you've considered being a stay at home spouse or parent, as well as if you're interested in some of the current politics around feminism.
The author covers a lot of ground in this book, using a combination of personal interviews and scientific studies to investigate why so many women are becoming housewives again. The options of running a handmade business via Etsy or running a lifestyle blog as methods/means to support oneself are covered, along with the negatives of these options which are namely that very few people do support themselves or bring in any significant money at all by these ventures. The corporate culture, especially in the US with its woman-unfriendly and particularly mother-unfriendly policies, is explored as one of the reasons why young mothers choose to stay home with their children. The "backlash" against 80s/90s consumerist culture and feminist "have it all" families that produced these young women is discussed throughout the book, as many young women do not want to live the lives that their stressed, overworked mothers did. The concept of "feminism went too far" is brought up several times, as well as the dangers of too many women choosing to go back to being housewives and thus removing themselves from corporate culture and the possibility of changing it still further. The recent economic slowdown is another reason presented as pushing young women (and some men) out of corporate culture, especially if they don't feel like they are creatively challenged or fulfilled there. The ever-increasing bar for "natural parenting" is listed as well, as so many time-consuming parenting methods (attachment parenting, baby led weaning, growing/making all food, cloth diapering, etc.) can be used to justify why a woman should stay home with her children. And finally, the detriments of staying home are discussed, including the lack of financial stability and the lack of progress on social fronts that could benefit women who do not have the luxury of maternal leave, sick time, or staying home with their children.
Overall this is a very interesting book, with some controversial claims and a lot of discussion around them. I agree with the points that corporate culture in the US needs to change, and I understand why those policies drive many women to stay home with their children. The lure of staying home as either a mother or housewife is very seductive (it's even calling my name at times), but this book makes some good points for why it's harder to do than some women realize. And on the flip side, the author also points out that house work is vastly unappreciated, and that some of the crafting and DIY movements are helping to change that and move back to where the work that both husband and wife did was valued even as it was different (i.e. in colonial times). I'd definitely take a look at this book if you've considered being a stay at home spouse or parent, as well as if you're interested in some of the current politics around feminism.