Routledge - Who Pays for the Kids? - Social Theory Book

Explore the complex economic and social realities of modern family life with Who Pays for the Kids?: Gender and the Structures of Constraint. Published by Routledge as part of the Economics as Social Theory series, this book examines the deep-seated paradoxes surrounding social reproduction and the division of labor. This text investigates why women continue to handle the majority of unpaid housework and childcare despite entering the paid workforce in record numbers. It also looks at the shifting landscape of motherhood, noting that while birth rates have declined, more mothers are raising children without support from fathers. Finally, the book provides a unique perspective on state spending, suggesting that much of it acts as a substitute for the income transfers that families used to manage internally. This work is an essential resource for students and professionals in anthropology, sociology, and economics. It offers a clear analysis of how gender and economic structures shape the way we support the next generation.