Ms. Lerner compares the working parents policies of the U.S. to those of the European social democracies, while examining the impact in America of women having joined the work force en mass. She says that though most families need the income of both parents to stay afloat, corporate and governmental policies in the U.S. don't recognize the additional needs of mothers who hold the full-time job of primary care of the family, while also working outside the home.