Speaker: Ann Crittenden

February 18, 2002

Author, Journalist

Are Mothers As Important As Warriors?

Ms. Crittenden will discuss the ancient archetypes of the Mother and the Warrior. She will discuss why the traditional female contribution to society is still not valued as highly as the traditional male contribution.

Ann Crittenden is the author of The Price of Motherhood: Why the Most Important Job in the World is Still the Least Valued. In The Price of Motherhood, she considers how contemporary society undervalues mothers - both socially and economically. Ms. Crittenden sites the fact that motherhood is the single bigest risk factor of poverty in old age. As The New York Times Book Review noted, The Price of Motherhood "... challenges the received ideas of economists, feminists and conservatives alike and ought to be read by all of them."

Crittenden is also the author of Sanctuary: A Story of American Conscience and the Law in Collision, and Killing the Sacred Cows: Bold Ideas for the New Economy. Ms. Crittenden has also been a reporter for The New York Times where her coverage of economic issues earned her a Pulitzer Prize nomination. She has also reported for Fortune and Newsweek and her articles have appeared in many national magazines including The Nation, and Working Mother. Crittenden has been a visiting lecturer at M.I.T. and Yale, has been an economics commentator for CBS News.