Praise for Motherhood Discounted
“A compelling argument that will inspire robust debate. The author makes her case in supremely cogent and delightfully pointed terms, conducting an intensive interrogation of female oppression."
Kirkus Reviews
Starred review
“This important book explains how the ‘autonomy myth’ blinds us to the reality that we all are dependent throughout our lives on social relationships and institutions, affecting not only individual lives but the entire society. Highly recommend.”
Martha Albertson Fineman
Robert W Woodruff Professor of Law, Emory University, and author of The Autonomy Myth: A Theory of Dependency
“In this accessible, carefully researched book, Carolyn McConnell argues that autonomy is a myth that obscures the ways we are dependent on one another and acts as a cover to exploit unpaid reproductive labor from the most marginalized. Drawing on both her personal experience and her deep knowledge of the law, she inspires us to imagine alternative modes of living in community, rooted in care.”
Emily Callaci
Professor of history, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and author of Wages for Housework
“A breath of fresh air. As right-wing movements worldwide demand that women embrace motherhood as a matter of national security—while continuing to denigrate support for families as parasitism—McConnell’s message can’t come soon enough.”
Kathryn Joyce
Author of The Child Catchers: Rescue, Trafficking and the New Gospel of Adoption and Quiverfull: Inside the Christian Patriarchy Movement
“This bold and illuminating book exposes the myth of autonomy as a lie that undermines reproductive rights and obscures the real source of our deeply unequal world. McConnell offers a path forward, a declaration of dependence that demands we think, act, and count differently.”
Robin D.G. Kelley
Distinguished Professor and Gary B. Nash Endowed Chair in U.S. History, UCLA, and PEN America Open Book Award–winning author of Thelonious Monk and Yo’ Mama’s DisFunktional
“McConnell creatively deploys an incisive, cutting analysis of seemingly disparate histories—from witchcraft to welfare, Cesarean sections to safety nets—to weave together a broader understanding of autonomy, care, and our unfulfilled social contract to both mothers and families.”
Gretchen Sisson
Author of Relinquished: The Politics of Adoption and the Privilege of American Motherhood