By James A. Cox
Midwest Book Review
May 19th, 2019
Written from a feminist perspective, Birth Strike: The Hidden Fight Over Women’s Work examines why birthrates have plunged in America since the Great Recession of 2008. Are American women deliberately going on a “birth strike” because financial reality requires them to work while society expects them to primarily shoulder the burden of child-raising? Could America’s population replacement rate dip so low as to precipitate a demographic and economic crisis, similar to the ones currently happening in Japan and Europe? And if this risk is present, then why isn’t there a greater national effort to help families with universal childcare, or other parent-friendly programs beyond the occasional tax credit? Birth Strike boldly claims that American women need to demand more family-friendly government policies, and to contest the myth that children are a “luxury”, like an exotic pet or an expensive car. Instead, children should be valued as a public benefit and a necessary component of society, and therefore supported with measures such as universal childcare. Sharp yet sobering, Birth Strike is a “must-read” about a keystone American social issue. Birth Strike is highly recommended, especially for public library collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that Birth Strike is also available in a Kindle edition ($9.99).
