It's interesting thinking about women in the workforce, and I have some half-baked theories.
I'm seeing a generational effect--a lot of the top students now may have had mothers with careers of their own, but at a time when the business world was not overly accommodating of working parents. The college students of today may have been latchkey kids with mothers that tried to balance children and work and found it very difficult, and have passed that feeling down.
My mother tells me that women of her generation were made to feel guilty about being stay-at-home moms because of the prominence of feminism of the day. That isn't as true any more. In fact I think employers, at least in white collar jobs, are getting more and more accommodating of family for both genders. (IDEO has paternity leave, and a flexible workspace that allows babies in the building for short times. No daycare yet, though.)
There does seem to be a growing societal consensus that if one can afford it, a parent at home is ideal. I'm actually finding myself having to adjust to the fact that I thought I was going to be the one working while Michael raised the kids and worked at home, but now with law school I'm probably going to be the primary caregiver, and will take some time off if we can afford it. But I'm ok with that, and it doesn't make me feel repressed by society or guilty of betraying my gender. It will be just my own choice.
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I'm seeing a generational effect--a lot of the top students now may have had mothers with careers of their own, but at a time when the business world was not overly accommodating of working parents. The college students of today may have been latchkey kids with mothers that tried to balance children and work and found it very difficult, and have passed that feeling down.
My mother tells me that women of her generation were made to feel guilty about being stay-at-home moms because of the prominence of feminism of the day. That isn't as true any more. In fact I think employers, at least in white collar jobs, are getting more and more accommodating of family for both genders. (IDEO has paternity leave, and a flexible workspace that allows babies in the building for short times. No daycare yet, though.)
There does seem to be a growing societal consensus that if one can afford it, a parent at home is ideal. I'm actually finding myself having to adjust to the fact that I thought I was going to be the one working while Michael raised the kids and worked at home, but now with law school I'm probably going to be the primary caregiver, and will take some time off if we can afford it. But I'm ok with that, and it doesn't make me feel repressed by society or guilty of betraying my gender. It will be just my own choice.