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Young women are the unhappy victims of “ the feminism of their mothers’ generation”, says Danielle Crittenden in “What Our Mothers Didn't Tell Us”. Though they usually don't realize it, feminism has "seeped into their minds like intravenous saline into the arm of an unconscious patient." Crittenden says that feminism doesn't provide answers for the questions that distress young women, such as, "Is work really more important and fulfilling than raising my children?" and "Why does my boyfriend not want to get married as much as I do?" The modern dilemma, she says, is that the success of feminism has cut women off from those aspects of life that are distinctly female desires,such as being a wife and raising children. Crittenden wants us to take a step back from sexual freedom (which she says ends up harming the woman, who gets used and dumped), career (only a tiny minority have stimulating,gratifying jobs), and zealous personal autonomy (often an indication of being too fearful and weak to take on responsibilities), in favor of commitment, marriage, and child rearing. She argues that feminist fervor has failed modern women, and gives her suggestions for how women can recapture meaning, fulfillment, and happiness. --[Amazon.com]

From Publishers Weekly

With approving nods to William Kristol and other conservatives, Crittenden's  political stance is clear. All readers, however, will find that she's a good writer and a persuasive advocate.Crittenden is the  founder of the Women's Quarterly, which in four years has attracted lots of attention, pro and con.  She  argues  that today's young women are unhappy because they have been taught to put independence first and blame men for everything.  

It's  hard not to agree with her that working women are often overstressed and overcommitted. Crittenden writes that the newfound independence of women, for all its advantages, has caused a parallel lessening of commitment by men, who, she contends, feel a much weaker obligation than they felt in the past to support their wives and children. Women, she claims, are waiting too long to have children and regard them more as "an add-on option to a marriage, like a leather interior and digital compass in a new car." This is similar to the argument made by Naomi Wolf, that too many people view children as a mere lifestyle choice.   Her views on the perceived evils of postponing childbearing and of professional mothers keeping infants in daycare will not make her popular with mothers (or  their husbands) who, for economic reasons, have no choice but to work.  However, Crittenden should make readers think long and hard about how real the mantra of "choice" really is.