A Lesser Life: The Myth of Women's Liberation in America

Family support issues have been politicized in the U.S., alleges British economist Hewlett. In this challenging, amply researched, angry (and sometimes repetitious) study, the author further charges that American feminists have emphasized equal rights and sexual freedom at the expense of social benefits, and that American women since the ""ultra domestic'' '50s have less economic security than their own mothers and European sisters. High divorce rates with negligible alimony and child support, combined with the widest wage gap between males and females in the industrial world, have become the lot of many women. Inadequate public and corporate support systems for maternity leave and child care, and the high cost of private facilities, compound the problems of combining career and family. Unfortunately, concludes Hewlett, leaders of both public and private sectors appear largely indifferent to this situation. 100,000 first printing; $75,000 ad/promo; author tour. (March 18)