The Crisis of the Working Mother: Resolving the Conflict Between Family and Work - Softcover

Drawing on her own experience and that of hundreds of women she interviewed, as well as on many books and articles, Berg presents a cogent, in-depth examination of the inevitable family-work conflict experienced by working mothers. At the heart of the problem, Berg asserts, is today's working mother's often overwhelming sense of guilt, caused primarily by the decision she has made to follow a path divergent from that taken by her own mother in the 1950s or '60s: "to choose a different lifestyle, to challenge her values, attitudes, child-rearing practices." Having established this premise, the author goes on to explain how guilt has affected working mothers in four areas: in connection with their children, their job performance, their husbands and their self-images. Throughout, Berg imparts much sound advice on coping with the resultant emotional and physical pressures. First serial to Ladies' Home Journal.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Guilt, according to Berg, is at the root of the conflict between family and work felt by the growing number of American mothers who work outside the home. Coming to terms with that guilt is essential to resolving the conflict. In a thoughtful, well-documented, and readable analysis, Berg explores the effects of guilt on a mother's attitudes and actions toward her children, in her marriage, on the job, and in her own development. The author feels that the guilt results from the dramatic differences between the working mother's child-rearing practices and those of her mother. Perhaps that is true, but the real value here is in learning to recognize behavior motivated by guilt and being empowered to change it. An important book. Hilma F. Cooper, Cheltenham Twp. Libs., Pa.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.