Author Angela Garbes joins the pod today to dive deep into her book “Essential Labor: Mothering as Social Change” and discusses the economic, political and ideological systems that have shaped the way our society sees care work. She shares:

• Why care work and mothering is so undervalued in American society.
• How lack of compensation for care workers is a uniquely American problem.
• Mothering as a verb instead of a noun
• How the majority of Americans believe in more support for domestic workers/why our government does not represent us any longer.
• How both the wealth of our country and our views on care workers comes from slavery. 
• The surprising median wage that nannies in America make and why we need to look at our own biases when it comes to paying them.
• Why being a care worker is life changing work.
• Why mothering is the earliest public health intervention we could have.
• How to remain hopeful when it comes to making changes to the system.
• If she thinks we will ever see paid family leave in America and what we have to do to get there.

Follow Angela: https://www.instagram.com/angelagarbes/

Buy Angela’s Book: https://www.amazon.com/Essential-Labor-Mothering-Social-Change/dp/0062937367

Thank you to today’s podcast partners! 

• OUAI: 15% off site wide when you use the code: PRETTYSMART
• Cozy Earth: Up to 35% off site wide when you use the code PRETTYSMART