by Ann Crittenden
Forget labor pains as we know them. This provocative new book argues that what really hurts about motherhood isn't the agony of delivery but the hit to the wallet that follows.
The financial reporter shows that for all our paeans to Mom and apple pie, parents—and at least 90 percent of the time that means the mother—pay a steep "mommy tax" in lost earnings and slowed career advancement. For instance, she calculates that a typical female college grad who has a baby will sacrifice $1 million in earnings over a lifetime.
Not everyone will agree with the publicly financed remedies Crittenden proposes. But after reading this impassioned work, it's hard not to concur that there is a problem. (Metropolitan, $25)
Bottom Line: Exposing the economic parent trap
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