Motherhood, The Mother of All Sexism

A Plea for Parental Equality

Quebec spoils its families, according to some, with those “long” parental leaves—a full year for mothers (Imagine!)—well-subsidized childcare and more. Marilyse Hamelin challenges that restrictive view. But she adds that although progress has been made compared to other places in North America, stop-gap measures are not the answer. Women deserve and expect more. And the fight for women’s rights and equality is taking place here and now, in Canada and the US.

Why can’t woman have it all? Why can’t the labour market and the entire infrastructure that sustains it be adapted to meet the needs of mothers—and fathers? What does that mean in practice? What are the causes of the lasting inequality between men and women? Why does our radar blank out women working at minimum wage or less?

Marilyse Hamelin answers those questions and proposes solutions, bringing to bear numerous studies, statistics, and interviews.

Translated into English by Arielle Aaronson. Arielle Aaronson is a Montreal literary translator with degress from Concordia and McGill. Her translations include QC Fiction novels Behind the Eyes We Meet by Mélissa Verreault and Listening For Jupiter by Pierre-Luc Landry, which she co-translated with Madeleine Stratford.

Please Note: A collection can contain up to 30% of the chapters from this title

Contributors

Marilyse Hamelin

Marilyse Hamelin is an independent journalist, blogger and public speaker born in 1980. She is a regular contributor to leading French-language publications including Le Devoir, La Presse, L’actualité, La Gazette des femmes and Châtelaine. As a committed feminist, she is often invited by Radio-Canada and other media to discuss the burning issues concerning women’s rights. Motherhood, The Mother of All Sexism, published in French under the title Maternité, La face cachée du sexisme (Leméac, 2017) is her first book. Marilyse lives in Montreal.
Chapter Contributors Pages Year Price
A Foreword and a Letter from the author entitled "Building on Quebec’s Experience in Parental Equality" for the English translation’s readers.
10 $1.00
An introduction by the author that outlines the goals of and context for this book.
13 $1.30
This chapter begins to outline the systemic discrimination, wage loss, and job insecurity that women/mothers face in Quebec and beyond, drawing on multiple examples. It critiques the Quebec …
21 $2.10
This chapter highlights and critiques the outdated social constructions and everyday sexism that continue to constrain mothers and fathers. It looks at the many challenges of parenthood typically …
33 $3.30
This chapter explores the expectations and social constructions that constrain and shame involved fathers. I discusses barriers to fathers taking paternity leave, the established perceived role …
28 $2.80
Quebec is a trailblazer in North America when it comes to paternity leave, borrowing from a tried-and-true template popular in Scandinavian nations; however, fathers in Quebec are more hesitant …
30 $3.00
This chapter looks at current gender roles and divisions of domestic/parental labour and asks whether we are on a good path towards equality. The author tries to get to the root of inequality for …
12 $1.20
The conclusion reiterates the need to strive towards better parental and gender equality in Quebec, reiterating key arguments and touching briefly on valuable topics/angles that the book did not …
18 $1.80