SHARING SPACE: Do Real Feminists Attachment Parent?

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Erica Etelson

Erica Etelson is a stay-at-home-and-write mother and recovering attorney writing a book about the politics of parenting. She can be reached at ericaetelson@hotmail.com.

Issue: 
Publication Date: 
May 2007
Starting Page: 
363
Page Count: 
22

As attachment parenting has become more popular, many feminists condemn it as fundamentally oppressive to mothers. Their critique is based on misinterpretation and misrepresentation of attachment theory, the neuro-psychological body of research that underlies attachment parenting. In contravention of the great weight of scientific evidence, many feminists downplay the nurturance needs of young children as a defensive measure against the neo-conservative backlash against changing women's roles. Mothers and their children would be better served by a feminist articulation of a real family values agenda that calls for society to support fathers and mothers engaged in the socially meaningful work of child-rearing.

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