Why Homemakers Matter (with Ivana Greco)

Summary
Katharine talks with Ivana Greco about her unusual path from successful, Harvard-educated attorney to full-time "stay-at-home mom," caring for her toddler and homeschooling her two young sons. Their conversation illuminates the often-overlooked societal importance and personal fulfillment of full-time parenting. 

Key points include:

• Why Ivana dislikes the term "stay-at-home mom" and thinks "homemaker" better characterizes that essential role.
• The limitations of GDP in capturing the value of individual production and the false dichotomy between pro-GDP and pro-family positions.
• Historical significance of the "housewife," and the critical role homemakers have long played in the economic and social fabric of a thriving society.
• The technological and cultural forces that led to devaluation of work at home.
• Policy solutions to better support homemakers, including reforms to Social Security and providing on-ramps back into the workforce.

Relevant Work

• The Job for Which All Others Exist: Let’s Bring Back the Term “Homemaker"
• When Moms Lean Out, Government Should Lean In
• Valuing Homemaking: Against GDP Growth Fundamentalism
• Jobs for Homemaker Parents: Exploring "Serial Careers
• Dual-Income Families' Time Crunch: Why Support Families that Want a Stay-at-Home Parent?

About the Guest

After graduating cum laude from Harvard Law School in 2011, Ivana Greco spent a decade working as a successful attorney, specializing in qualified retirement-plan advising and healthcare litigation. A couple of years ago, she left her paid employment to work as a full-time mother of her three children, caring for a toddler and homeschooling her two young sons. She is also a writer, publishing regularly on family policy and other issues that impact stay-at-home parents.

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