Shadow Mothers

Shadow Mothersshines much-needed new light on an aspect of contemporary motherhood often hidden from view: the need for paid childcare by women returning to the workforce, and the complex bonds mothers forge with the "shadow mothers" they hire. Cameron Macdonald illuminates both sides of an admittedly unequal relationship, one that is complicated in surprising ways. Based on in-depth interviews with professional women and childcare providers-- immigrant and American-born nannies as well as European au pairs--Shadow Motherslocates the roots of individual skirmishes between mothers and their childcare providers in broader cultural and social tensions. Macdonald argues that these conflicts arise from unrealistic ideals about mothering and inflexible career paths and work schedules, as well as from the devaluation of paid care work. The book illuminates the changing boundaries between family and community, home and work, love and money, and ultimately challenges assumptions about what it means to be a mother, paid or not, biological or hired.