Of Patriarchy Born: The Political Economy of Fertility Decisions http://www.jsto

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Of Patriarchy Born: The Political Economy of Fertility Decisions
http://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/3177490.pdf
Read pages 261-273.(i have attached them)

Questions:

1. Why are children a public good according to Folbre?

2. Who bears more of the costs of children—husbands or wives? Why? Who then “pays” for the public good of children?

OF PATRIARCHY BORN: THE POLITICAL ECONOMY OF FERTILITY DECISIONS NANCY FOLBRE I do not want to simplify Or: I would simplify by naming the complexity It was made over-simple all along the separation of powers the allotment of sufferings . . . Adrienne Rich "From an Old House in America At the very core of feminist theory, in virtually all its incarna tions, lies a central insight about the nature of motherhood However distinctive women's biological capacities may be, it is the social and historical context of childbearing and childrearing that largely determines their structure and meaning. To many feminists, this social and historical context inextricably links motherhood to the larger pattern of patriarchy. The social rela tions which govern human reproduction often reinforce the domination of women and the exploitation of women's labor Feminist scholars have made a great deal of progress in explor- ing this issue since Frederick Engels first formally broached it in The Famiy, Private Property, and the State. Yet despite an over riding concern with the social aspects of motherhood, feminists have had remarkably little to say about a long-run secular trend that has transformed family life-the demographic transition to lower fertility rates. Over the last two hundred years, women in the United States and France, as well as many other countries have gradually but consciously limited their fertility, and radically diminished the proportion of their adult years devoted to the care of young infants. A similar process of fertility decline has long been under way in many areas of the developing world Feminist Studies 9, no. 2 (Summer 1983). C by Nancy Folbre

Explanation / Answer

1. According to Folbre while bearing children is a private choice, as these children grow into future citizens who'd be paying taxes and contributing to the growth and improvement of society as such they are a public good.
2. Wives bear more of the costs of children as additional childrearing responsibilities have a significant effect on the length of the work day.

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