Fresh Take: Jessica Calarco on Women as America's Social Safety Net
“Other countries have social safety nets. The U.S. has women.” Sociologist Jessica Calarco, author of the new book HOLDING IT TOGETHER: How Women Became America's Safety Net, explains how we can start changing that narrative.
During the pandemic, most moms hit a breaking point. All of the increased labor of childcare, at-home teaching, and caregiving seemed to land mostly, or only, on their plates. It was a clarifying moment for many of us that things simply could not continue as they were going—and that perhaps they had been going that way for a long time.
Jessica Calarco is a Professor of Sociology at the University of Wisconsin and the author of the new book HOLDING IT TOGETHER: How Women Became America's Safety Net. In this interview, discusses the forces that place the burden of childcare and domestic labor on women.
Jessica, Amy, and Margaret discuss:
- how societal expectations around motherhood have always pointed toward a lack of choices
- how "mom guilt" is weaponized to ensure women keep doing more than their share
- what Jessica calls "DIY society," and why it's a myth
Here's where you can find Jessica:
- https://www.jessicacalarco.com
- @JessicaCalarco on X
- Buy HOLDING IT TOGETHER: https://bookshop.org/a/12099/9780593538128
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