This book examines maternal employment contexts in the United States. It accomplishes something that is hard to achieve in social science research: it points out patterns and offers categorizations that are at odds with most preconceived notions but are convincing to experts and accessible to a broader audience.

The main point of Motherlands is that U.S. states, broadly, fit into two categories: “states with generous family policies and economic opportunities for mothers [that] do not have particularly supportive child care regimes, and… states that offer the most comprehensive child-care and school-aged-care resources [but] have unsupportive political and economic contexts” (pp. 137–138).

Leah Ruppanner’s book has multiple audiences. It helps readers understand how policy and institutional contexts shape maternal employment, and it is an excellent option for graduate and advanced undergraduate teaching. The book is also useful for those who want to understand why having antidiscrimination policies, and not just access to paid parental leave, is necessary to ensure that women are not pushed or pulled out of employment because of motherhood. In addition, it offers insights for comparative scholars outside the “work-family policy” realm. It provides a nuanced criticism of the Esping-Andersen-style wel