The Mommy Industry Is Killing Moms

Contrary to 'opt-out revolution' notion, most stay-at-home moms start that way

(NEWSER) - The so-called opt-out revolution by stay-at-home moms “is not and never has been and will not be a revolution,” says one sociologist—and statistics from the most recent census support that point. The term was coined to describe well-educated women leaving high-powered careers to raise children, but census figures show most stay-at-home moms are younger, less educated, and have lower family incomes. More»

Marketers seek positive messages for their products

(NEWSER) - Tween girls are a $43 billion market—but they’re not the ones with the wallets. Marketers are aiming for parents concerned about kids facing a barrage of ads that may not be “age-appropriate,” the Washington Times reports. “Many products are about making them older faster, but that's just not what they or their mothers want,” says a maker of preteen beauty products. More»

Think before offering 'constructive criticism,' then ... keep it to yourself: Warner

(NEWSER) - The maternal resentment has evidently been building up for a while, and New York Times blogger Judith Warner is letting loose. She recounts slights perpetrated against her and her friends and wonders: "Why do people so often permit themselves to dump—verbally, emotionally, with a surgically precise ability to wound viscerally—on mothers? And why do we put up with it? " More»

(NEWSER) - Modern mothers spend more time with their children than those in the June Cleaver era, a new study concludes. Diaries compiled for the study show that, despite working more, today's moms spend less time on things like housework, leisure, and sleep to devote four more hours per week to interacting with their kids than moms did in 1965. More»

Cite more depression, anger compared to employed mothers: Gallup poll

(NEWSER) - Stay-at-home moms struggle with sadness, depression, and anger more often than employed mothers do, according to a sure-to-be-controversial new Gallup poll. While 26% of stay-at-home moms reported feeling sadness much of "yesterday," that figure was just 16% among employed moms. Some 28% of stay-at-home moms said they have been diagnosed with depression, an assertion made by just 17% of employed mothers. Meanwhile, 50% of the stay-at-home group felt stressed and 19% felt angry "yesterday," versus 48% and 14% in the employed group. The poll comes on the heels of a furor over Ann Romney's stay-at-home status , Politico points out. More»