Recreating Motherhood: Ideology And Technology In A Patriarchal Society [Hardcover]

Barbara Katz Rothman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 7, 1990

The author advocates a social policy for dealing with mothers and motherhood that is consistent with feminist politics and feminist theory. She suggests how to incorporate technological and scientific advances into social policy.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Rothman, a sociologist at the City University of New York, is herself a wife and mother, and her third book, following In Labor and The Tentative Pregnancy , centers on how "motherhood" can be undermined by technology. Indicting scientific "progress" that can reduce women to machines bearing children for sale, she adds her opinion to the controversary surrounding "Baby M" and related issues. Rothman warns of the grave social problems already evinced by alternative methods of "having" babies, such as surrogacy, artificial conception, etc. Readers may quarrel with some of the author's convictions but they will agree with her argument that it's past time for women to restore motherhood to its proper status.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Rothman examines the impact of the new reproductive technologies on the institution of the family. Using the Baby M and Baby Doe cases as points of departure, she discusses the medical, legal, and ethical aspects of current medical advances. She notes with alarm the tendency to look at children as commodities and mothers as a means of production. Unlike other books dealing with this material, Rothman's goes beyond warnings of abuse by the male-dominated medical and legal professions and beyond the traditional feminist call for taking control from the oppressor. She offers practical suggestions for an enlightened social policy regarding parenthood, family structure, and childcare. A thoughtful, well-written analysis of contemporary issues for a wide audience. Barbara M. Bibel, Oakland P.L., Cal.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 282 pages
• Publisher: WW Norton & Co; 1st edition (March 7, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393026450
• ISBN-13: 978-0393026450
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.8 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #867,412 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Father Technology Doesn't Know Best, May 11, 2005

By 

Kaayla T. Daniel "The Naughty Nutritionist" (Albuquerque, NM United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Recreating Motherhood (Paperback)

Barbara Katz Rothman provides a riveting discussion of the moral, ethical and social implications of reproductive technology. But it saddens me that she -- like so many educated women -- seems to accept the idea that Father Technology -- in the form of the medical/pharmaceutical industry -- offers the only possible solution to infertility, aside from adoption. Must it be either/or? Female intuition tells me "no" and there's a mother lode of healthful and nourishing traditions that modern women can profitably mine. I would highly recommend Katie Singer's book "Garden of Fertility" for any couples experiencing infertility and considering their options.