Conflict: How Modern Motherhood Undermines the Status of Women

In this explosive new book, acclaimed French author Elisabeth Badinter attacks a most unlikely force undermining women’s equality: liberal motherhood, in thrall to all that is “natural.” Attachment parenting, co-sleeping and on-demand breastfeeding—these hallmarks of contemporary motherhood have succeeded in tethering women to the home and family to an extent not seen since the 1950s. The taboos surrounding epidurals, formula and disposable diapers—anything that distracts a mother’s attention from her offspring—have turned child rearing into a singularly regressive force. In sharp, engaging prose, Badinter names a reactionary shift that has been intensely felt but never clearly articulated until now. A bestseller in Europe, The Conflict is a scathing indictment of a stealthy zealotry that cheats women of their full potential.