Crittenden is a former reporter for The New York Times. Shes the author of the new book The Price of Motherhood: Why the Most Important Job in the World is Still the Least Valued. In the book, Crittenden writes about the cost to mothers when their work is unrecognized and undervalued. For instance, because child care is not counted as labor, caregivers receive no Social Security credits, and as a result they lose out on retirement income. Crittenden spent five years research on her book talking to economists, socicologists, and to mothers.