The work-family conflict that moms experience today is a national crisis. Women battle to balance breadwinning with the bulk of parenting, and stress is constant. Public plans don’t help. Of all American industrialized countries, the United States ranks deceased last for supportive work-family policies: No federal paid parental leave. The highest gender wage difference. No minimum standard for vacation and sick days. Can American females look to Western plans for solutions?

Drawing on interviews on the subject of Making Motherhood Work: How Women Deal with Jobs and Caregiving with 135 operating moms in Sweden, Germany, Italy, and the United States, Caitlyn Collins demonstrates mothers’ desires and expectations rely heavily on context. In Sweden-renowned for its gender-equal policies-mothers presume they’ll receive support from their partners, employers, and the government. In the previous East Germany, with its background of mandated employment, mothers don’t experience conflicted about operating, however, many curtail their work hours and ambitions. Moms in western Germany and Italy, where maternalist values are strong, are stigmatized for going after careers. Meanwhile, American working moms stand apart for his or her guilt and worry. Policies by itself, Collins discovers, cannot resolve women’s challenges. Easing them will demand a deeper knowledge of cultural beliefs about gender equality, work, and motherhood.