Paradigm Shift
Folbre is from a generation of women who grew up during the second-wave feminism and hence were part of the movement. She affirms the norms of behavior for women that were changing with every passing day in society. The narration captures this paradigm shift through a snippet of her childhood:
“When I graduated from high school in 1969, I was warned not to seem too smart or too ambitious. Some family friends capped this advice with a quotation from Shakespeare: "Be good, sweet girl, and let those who will be clever." I remember my mother giving me a big wink. As someone who had reconciled herself to goodness, she secretly urged me on to mischief. Over time, I've seen discomfort about female accomplishments diminish.”
Downsides of Specialization
The author stresses the culture of giving traditional gender roles to women is far gone. She points out that conservative thinkers express the significance of specialization but fail to see its downfalls. Folbre describes the process of specialization on a global scale to define the private spheres in households:
“Specialization, after all, increases efficiency. But specialization also affects the development of human capabilities and the exercise of bargaining power. In the short run, it may be efficient for one country to specialize in producing sugar and bananas while another country specializes in producing computers and guns. In the long run, however, the country that specializes in producing sugar and bananas is unlikely to be able to defend its own borders or develop its own technology.”
Medea’s Anger
Though caring for the vulnerable members of society is at the core of the book, Folbre advises against coercion or subordination. Caring must come from the willingness to take up the task for there to be high-quality care. She uses the analogy of Medea’s anger to express the female fury:
“Subordination doesn't always lead to high quality care. It can create tension, resentment, even fury. Greek mythology tells of Medea, so angered by her husband Jason's betrayal that she murdered their two sons and served them up for dinner.”
Slice of Life
The author addresses the power balance in marital relationships in the past and the present to demonstrate the huge gap. She incorporates the dynamic of her childhood home to highlight the separate spheres of men and women in the family. Through this she offers a glimpse into her life in a few sentences that encapsulates the dynamic:
“In my family, the men took charge of making money while the women figured out ways to give it away. I remember my mother, a restless housewife, taking on sizable responsibilities for the local Junior League, the United Fund, and the Girl Scouts. She died of cancer when I was eighteen, and my father remarried about a year later. “
