Motherhood Discounted

“The author makes her case in supremely cogent and delightfully pointed terms, conducting an intensive interrogation of female oppression.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“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
“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 and Quiverfull
“Who’s afraid of dependency? Certainly not Carolyn McConnell, whose bold and illuminating book exposes the myth of autonomy for what it is: a lie that effectively devalues and exploits care work; normalizes patriarchy, poverty, racism, and ableism; undermines reproductive rights; endangers mothers and children; 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, PEN America Open Book Award–winning author of Thelonious Monk and Yo’ Mama’s DisFunktional
“In this accessible, carefully researched book, Carolyn McConnell inspires us to imagine alternative modes of living in community, rooted in care and a robust recognition of our interdependence.”—Emily Callaci, professor of history at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and author of Wages for Housework
“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. Carolyn McConnell uses her experience as a mother to compellingly demonstrate how this affects not only individual lives but the entire society. Highly recommend.”—Martha Albertson Fineman, Robert W. Woodruff Professor of Law and author of The Autonomy Myth

Carolyn McConnell is a lawyer and an activist dedicated to resisting attacks on public services. She has published extensively on reproductive rights, feminism, and women’s history. She holds graduate degrees in philosophy from Johns Hopkins University and nonfiction writing from the University of Iowa. She lives in Seattle, Washington.

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