Living Diaper to Diaper: The Hidden Crisis of Poverty and Motherhood

The story of the diaper in America is a “profound” tale of “stratified access to basic human needs,” sociologist Randles (Policing Not Protecting Families) reveals in this illuminating study. She begins with a historical overview of diapering in the U.S.—as women entered the workforce in greater numbers, she notes, disposable diapering became the norm. But families in poverty often can’t afford disposable diapers’ high prices, and assistance programs such as SNAP don’t cover them. Drawing on interviews with financially struggling mothers and leaders of diaper banks, Randles shows that an extensive amount of extra labor, which she calls “diaper work,” must be undertaken by caregivers who can’t afford diapers, including keeping meticulous count of the diapers on hand, tracking funds down to the penny, finding innovative ways to stretch and supplement when supplies run low, making often long treks to diaper banks to fill in the gaps, and skimping on food for oneself to afford diapers. Elsewhere, Randles considers the pros and cons of cloth diapering as an alternative, noting that it often carries stigma for poor families. Randles balances hard facts with empathetic inquiry into the system that keeps people down: “diaper need and diaper despair are neither happenstance nor inevitable,” she writes, but “the result of deliberate... policy choices.” This casts an urgent spotlight on a dire injustice. (Feb.)