Thanks to Kevin Burke over at Light Iris for calling my attention to an MSNBC story entitled, “Moms’ Road Back to Work Often Bumpy.” Essentially, the article discusses the difficulties that many mothers encounter when they attempt to return to the workforce after an extended time at home with kids.
One quote, in particular, stuck out to me: Author Leslie Bennetts said, “If you stay home for 10 years you are compromising the other 60 years of your adult lifespan for the sake of your children, jeopardizing the family’s economic survival and certainly jeopardizing your future.”
Although Bennetts‘ certainly has an agenda, she does make an interesting point. Many women forfeit their careers and ambitions entirely for the short-term and then find themselves to be less marketable candidates down the road. This is a heart-breaking thing for teen and adult children to watch their mothers go through.
Bennetts might argue that the answer is for women to stay in the workplace, but perhaps the answer is not so cut-and-dry. I am of the opinion that moms just need better options (see my previous post about working preferences of moms) and more support from the business culture and society as a whole.
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