Reconceiving Pregnancy and Childcare: Ethics, Experience, and Reproductive Labor

Description

This highly original book argues for increased recognition of pregnancy, birthing and childrearing as social activities demanding simultaneously physical, intellectual, emotional and moral work from those who undertake them. Amy Mullin considers both parenting and paid childcare, and examines the impact of disability on this work. The first chapters contest misconceptions about pregnancy and birth such as the idea that pregnancy is only valued for its end result, and not also for the process. Following chapters focus on childcare provided in different circumstances and on the needs of both providers and receivers of care. The book challenges the assumption that isolated self-sacrifice should be the norm in either pregnancy or childcare. Instead reproductive labor requires greater social support. Written from the perspective of a feminist philosopher, the book draws on the work of, and seeks to increase dialogue between, philosophers and childcare professionals, disability theorists, nurses and sociologists.

Amy Mullin is Associate Professor of Philosophy, University of Toronto.

'This book brings a feminist philosophical perspective to issues of pregnancy and childcare. It will make a contribution to the growing philosophical literature on parent-child relationships, to feminist philosophy and to work on the embodied self. As well, the book will break new ground and stake out pregnancy and childcare as a topic for further philosophical work. Any such work will be sure to cite Mullin's book. There is nothing else like it.' Samantha Brennan, University of Western Ontario 'Mullin's work is highly interdisciplinary while her voice remains decidedly philosophical. This makes her text a valuable contribution to the philosophical literature on pregnancy and motherhood (which has tended to be quite abstract) and to the quickly growing empirical literature on these topics (which has tended to be light on the kind of conceptual analysis and ethical theory that a philosopher can bring to the topic).' Rebecca Kukla, Georgetown University 'Mullin's discussion of childcare is extremely illuminating and persuasive. ... a really fine book. It is hard for me to think of anyone who wouldn't benefit from reading it.' Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews