“Doing it all…and making it look easy!”: Yummy mummies, mompreneurs and the North American neoliberal crises of the home

The chapter, "“Doing it all…and making it look easy!”: Yummy mummies, mompreneurs and the North American neoliberal crises of the home" was written by the listed authors including Joseph G. Moore (Douglas College Faculty). Neoliberal policies and austerity measures have unequivocally altered the landscape of women’s lives globally. The most detrimental effect has been on mothers as they are faced with increasing responsibility and decreasing resources. Despite mothers being the primary producers, consumers, and reproducers of the neoliberal world, their centrality has been largely silenced within economic discourse. Thus, Mothering in the Age of Neoliberalism calls for a new economic framework to counter the individualized neoliberal model, one in which the needs of mothers and children are prioritized. This volume provides a crucial starting point. By identifying the sources of neoliberal failure toward mothers, we can begin to collectively formulate an alternative paradigm in which mothers’ voices are no longer rendered invisible, but rather predominate in the global landscape.Neoliberal policies and austerity measures have unequivocally altered the landscape of women’s lives globally. The most detrimental effect has been on mothers as they are faced with increasing responsibility and decreasing resources. Despite mothers being the primary producers, consumers, and reproducers of the neoliberal world, their centrality has been largely silenced within economic discourse. Thus, Mothering in the Age of Neoliberalism calls for a new economic framework to counter the individualized neoliberal model, one in which the needs of mothers and children are prioritized. This volume provides a crucial starting point. By identifying the sources of neoliberal failure toward mothers, we can begin to collectively formulate an alternative paradigm in which mothers’ voices are no longer rendered invisible, but rather predominate in the global landscape. -- From publisher description.

Neoliberalism in North America has not only restructured the public sphere, it has engendered a troubling “crisis of home” (Duyvendak). Longer work hours, the erosion of collective supports and heightened consumption expectations have intensified the burden of social reproduction shouldered primarily by women as mothers. This chapter examines the emergence of Anglo North American “Yummy Mummy” and “Mompreneur” discourses as a cultural response to this “crisis of the home.” Content analysis of a Canadian parenting magazine alongside a growing scholarship on this “new Momism”¹ reveal seductive stories of women who reconcile the “new reality” of neoliberal economies with their mothering... -- From publisher description.