STEPHANIE GOLDEN

Why do so many women feel obliged to put other peoples needs first, even when they dont want to? The self-sacrificing impulse comes from womens history, not their nature, says Stephanie Golden.Drawing on interviews with experts and a diverse group of women, plus extensive scholarship, Golden traces the historical, cultural, and mythic factors that gave women the responsibility to sacrifice and suffer for the benefit of our entire society. "Slaying the Mermaid" (a title inspired by Hans Christian Andersens Little Mermaid, the ultimate self-sacrificing woman) illuminates common female experiences: the belief that being a "good mother" means endless self-sacrifice; romance, the surrender of a womans very being to an ideal embodied in a powerful man; on-the-job "enabling" that makes the boss look good while undermining a womans own career; the obsession with weight, which makes a virtue of self-denial.Golden analyzes the psychological effects of the self-sacrifice mandate, then expands this theme beyond individual experience to its broader social meanings.She helps women distinguish self-destructive from positive, constructive forms of sacrifice, so they can reclaim the original meaning of sacrifice as an act that both transforms and empowers.

Why do so many women feel they must put other peoples needs before their owneven when they dont want to? Why do they often give up what they really want in life, getting so enmeshed in taking care of others that they dont care for themselves?These are all forms of sacrificeself-sacrifice, to be specific: of womens own needs, desires, literally of their selves.Butyou may askisnt self-sacrifice good and noble? And isnt it inherent in womens nature to be givers and caretakers?Stephanie Golden answers: Sometimes... but also NO. Certainly sacrifice can arise from open-hearted, selfless generosity. But the impulse toward excessive self sacrifice comes from womens history, not their nature.Mermaid No More is a brief ebook updating Slaying the Mermaid: Women and the Culture of Sacrifice, Goldens earlier book about this issue.Mermaid No More will help you figure out whether youre sacrificing more than is good for you (and for everyone around you). It will help you stop doing so. And it will explain how to tell when making a sacrifice is the right thing to do.Based on new research and reporting, this 7,000-word ebook explains: How women historically became the sacrificers for everyone else How to tell whether youre caught in excessive, unhealthy self-sacrifice How to stop doing it What healthy self-sacrifice looks like