Homeward Bound
Why Women Are Embracing the New Domesticity
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- £9.99
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- £9.99
Publisher Description
Emily Matchar offers a smart, measured investigation into the cultural, social, and economic implications of a return to domesticity in this fascinating book “chock-full of historical context, strong research and compelling personal stories” (Christian Science Montor).
Amid today’s rising anxieties—the economy, the scary state of the environment, the growing sense that the American Dream hasn’t turned out to be so dreamy after all—a groundswell of women (and more than a few men) are choosing to embrace an unusual rebellion: domesticity. A generation of smart, highly educated young people are spending their time knitting, canning jam, baking cupcakes, gardening, and more (and blogging about it, of course), embracing the labor-intensive domestic tasks their mothers and grandmothers eagerly shrugged off. They’re questioning whether regular jobs are truly fulfilling and whether it’s okay to turn away from the ambitions of their parents’ generation.
How did this happen? And what does it all mean? In Homeward Bound, acclaimed journalist Emily Matchar takes a long, hard look at both the inspiring appeal and the potential dangers of this trend she calls the New Domesticity, exploring how it could be reshaping the role of women in society and what the consequences may be for all of us.
This groundbreaking reporting on the New Domesticity is guaranteed to transform our notions of women in today’s society and add a new layer to the ongoing discussion of whether women can—or should—have it all.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Journalist Matcher explores the trend toward domesticity that some American women have embraced in the past decade: the rise of homeschooling and "attachment" parenting; domestic blogging; knitting circles; homegrown vegetables, canning, and bread made from scratch; the burgeoning online craft marketplace; neohomesteading; and more. Speaking for those in their 20s and 30s who are "longing for a more authentic, meaningful life in an economically and environmentally uncertain world," Matcher investigates the implications of this "New Domesticity." A lively and perceptive reporter, she provides a historical overview of homemakers, from the frugal housewives of colonial times to the Radical Homemakers of the early 2000s, and interviews a variety of enthusiasts from around the country Etsy entrepreneurs in the South, food bloggers in the West, homesteaders on the East Coast, practitioners of attachment parenting in Chicago, and others. The book overstates its case when portraying these trends, none of which are particularly new or mainstream, as "a profound shift in the way Americans view life," and it could have been better edited to eliminate some repetition, clich s, and the occasional sweeping generalization: not all baby boomer parents are "stressed-out divorced." Nevertheless, Matcher offers a valuable and astute assessment of the factors that led to the current embracing of domesticity and the consequences of this movement.
