The demand and need for maternity disability and parenting policies have increased enormously in the United States over the past decade. With many states currently considering laws to establish parental leave and legislation on child care provision being drafted at state and federal levels, this volume provides an essential resource. Addressing key public policy issues, supplying historical background and cross-cultural comparison, and offering multiple perspectives on this complex debate, Parental Leave and Child Care makes a case for the development of public policy that will support working as well as parenting. Author note:

Janet Shibley Hyde is Professor of Psychology and Director of the Women's Studies Research Center at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

Marilyn J. Essex is Associate Scientist in the Women's Research Center and the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.