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Misconceptions: Truth, Lies and the Unexpected on the Journey to Motherhood Misconceptions is Naomi Wolf's latest treatise on women and culture in America, in which she seeks to "show how the experience of becoming a mother, as miraculous and fulfilling as it is, is also undersupported, sentimentalized, and even manipulated at women's expense." It examines many of the ways women lose personal and cultural power when they become mothers, from the workplace to their own relationships. I am perhaps exactly the woman for whom Wolf wrote the book: As I write this, I am six months pregnant with my first child. I also happen to be solidly in the same demographic as Wolf: white, upper-middle class, liberal, married to a man, born in the early to mid '60s, and a native of the San Francisco Bay Area. As such, I could relate to virtually every fear she outlined and outrage she felt. It's important to note, however, that many of the indignities Wolf describes are distinct to the rarified demographic she and I share. Wolf outlines how the honor of delivering babies belonged (and still does around the world) to female midwives until the 19th century when "male physicians aggressively began to take over the lucrative and respected role." Wolf calls medical personnel "technicians" and details their view of birth not as a natural, healthy process, but a medical problem to be solved-often by rushing into unnecessary and invasive procedures (pitocin, epidurals, episiotomies, cesarean sections) to meet their own time restraints, as well as keep profits high and the likelihood of malpractice suits low. (In one of her startlingly few nods to non-privileged women, Wolf does note that while many hospitals serving wealthier women may rush a C-section that isn't medically necessary because it will bring in more money as well as more quickly freeing up the costly birthing suite, for lower-income women, the opposite many be true; hospitals may not perform C-sections even when signs of distress are present, since poor women often lack insurance that would pay for costly surgery.) As when I read The Beauty Myth and Promiscuities, I was thrilled to have some of my own thoughts, observations, and fears about my cultural position expressed. Wolf has the ability to distill issues into accessible nuggets, but her position as a famous voice and face for feminism is a mixed blessing. The good news is that her book will likely find many readers, bringing attention to some important issues. The bad news is that in leaving so many women out she will give those readers the impression that feminism is just a middle-class white girls' club. And, if those readers are pregnant-as many who pick up Misconceptions will be-they will probably wish they hadn't. If you're anxious about maintaining some modicum of control through your labor, well, according to Wolf you might just as well sign up for the epidural now, because your trek down the slippery slope of intervention is all mapped out. Like her others, this book is one incredible downer. Wolf builds a detailed, depressing case about hospital births, but then gets lazy when it's time to offering solutions or calls to action. You're left with a great big "now what?!" It feels like a lost opportunity. Misconceptions is a compelling read, but other books have done more thorough examinations of hospital procedures, parental gender roles, and mothers' disadvantages in the workplace (The American Way of Birth, The Price of Motherhood, The Second Shift). And to get some honest poop on parenting-without reading about the inevitability of becoming incidental to your birth experience and losing your hard-earned status in your career, social circle, and relationship-pick up Ariel Gore's The HipMama Survival Guide. Gore reports the challenges in navigating a hospital birth, and also acknowledges all those moms who may not have money for a nanny, a husband, or the desire for a swanky Italian stroller. Perhaps most important, she interjects much-needed humor, which, after all, a pregnant woman and her growing fetus can surely use. -Kathy Bruin |
