You’d have hoped that more women would see the danger of trad life and steer well clear. But much of its appeal lies in the way that it downplays this exact danger.
Think about it: if you’re unhappy enough to have real regrets about your marriage, but not so unhappy that you absolutely have to leave, constant warnings about the social harm caused by single parents will sound very comforting. By staying in your unhappy relationship, you’re not wasting the years you have left to find meaning and connection elsewhere; no, you’re making a noble sacrifice. Likewise: if the workplace screwed you over royally when you asked for maternity leave or flexible hours, then you’ll gulp down any old content that details the “damage” that working mothers do to their children. The fact that the paragon fronting the content is herself a working mother won’t bother you at all. Sanctimony is better than gin, and it’s cheaper.
For the same reasons, the natural childbirth moment made a much bigger impact in healthcare-scarce America. If a hospital birth costs a five-figure sum just on the insurance excess, and if money is tight, wouldn’t you prefer to be told that popping your baby out “as nature intended” is the wiser, better choice?
Lift any stone and you’ll find weird, ugly things beneath it. There’s no stone like domestic entrapment. And there are few things uglier than women telling other women - usually in return for money - that it’s safest to choose danger.