Catfight: Women and Competition

by Leora Tanenbaum

Dr. Benjamin Spock published The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care in 1946; since then it has been reprinted hundreds of times and has sold more copies than any other book in American history except for the Bible. Unlike Holt, Spock emphasized the importance of relaxed discipline and the need for mothers to watch their children’s cues and fulfill their needs. Mothers had to be present constantly and create a stimulating environment at each developmental stage. Motherhood instantly became a lot more work. A mother was now responsible for molding happy, healthy children who would grow up free of any psychological distress. If her children were unhappy or in ill mental health in any way, it was her fault. Neither the children’s father, nor their friends, nor their culture, nor their inborn temperament was to blame: Mother alone was responsible for their outcome.