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Seriously, I get the sense that the take-away is intended to be "you can be an older woman and still have a career AND a child if you just work hard!" when real

Seriously, I get the sense that the take-away is intended to be "you can be an older woman and still have a career AND a child if you just work hard!" when really material wealth seems to be a bigger factor. She even mentions having a fulltime nanny for the first four years of the kid's life. It's not that surprising that your rate of book writing only slightly slows when you have hired help for the hardest years of child-rearing. This sentiment is lampshaded several times but is still way understated. I'm not trying to say that her experience was easy, I'm sure it was really hard. I just think the empowering "you can do it too" message is severely undercut by the privilege.

caprese 7y ago
> I get the sense that the take-away is intended to be "you can be an older woman and still have a career AND a child if you just work hard!" I didn't get that impression > I just think the empowering "you can do it too" message is severely undercut by the privilege. I didn't get that impression > She even mentions having a fulltime nanny for the first four years of the kid's life. I aspire to have this, two even. I wouldn't consider these "rites of passage" without a seriously baller situation: Two ridiculously attractive au-pairs sunbathing on the roofdeck of my penthouse. A spouse that is either accustomed to the privilege from their own upbringing, or so "lucky" to be in this situation that they don't challenge this outcome whatsoever. A gaggle of people at the airport on our own travels to Tuscany. Two of which are women that don't look like us who rotate out every year or two. Many times, wealth allows you to fulfill aspirations only to find out that NOBODY ELSE has actually fulfilled this actual fantasy, and that there is no blueprint anymore. I enjoy reading how people deal and apply themselves. I can't really relate to this idea that it has to be an egalitarian and inclusive blueprint for people it wasn't even about.
leetcrew 7y ago
to be fair, she does explicitly say "Money made motherhood possible for me" in the first paragraph of the third section.

caprese 7y ago

> I get the sense that the take-away is intended to be "you can be an older woman and still have a career AND a child if you just work hard!" I didn't get that impression > I just think the empowering "you can do it too" message is severely undercut by the privilege. I didn't get that impression > She even mentions having a fulltime nanny for the first four years of the kid's life. I aspire to have this, two even. I wouldn't consider these "rites of passage" without a seriously baller situation: Two ridiculously attractive au-pairs sunbathing on the roofdeck of my penthouse. A spouse that is either accustomed to the privilege from their own upbringing, or so "lucky" to be in this situation that they don't challenge this outcome whatsoever. A gaggle of people at the airport on our own travels to Tuscany. Two of which are women that don't look like us who rotate out every year or two. Many times, wealth allows you to fulfill aspirations only to find out that NOBODY ELSE has actually fulfilled this actual fantasy, and that there is no blueprint anymore. I enjoy reading how people deal and apply themselves. I can't really relate to this idea that it has to be an egalitarian and inclusive blueprint for people it wasn't even about.

leetcrew 7y ago

to be fair, she does explicitly say "Money made motherhood possible for me" in the first paragraph of the third section.