The Wall Between Women

Why women with difficult life choices create divisions, animosity, and pain among themselves is a controversial topic for mothers in the 21st century. Beth Brykman, who has been both a full-time employed mother and a stay-at-home mom, taps her personal experience as well as her professional marketing skills to bring to light the difficult choices involving children and careers that today’s American mothers face. Having interviewed more than one hundred mothers, Brykman 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 day care, how different women determined what was right for them and their families, co-parenting and suggestions for modifying marriages, and letting go of the emotional baggage of success and guilt, including suggestions for broad cultural change. 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.