- Pregnancy
- Baby & Toddler
- Parents
- Getting Pregnant
- Baby Names
- Product Reviews
-
Registry
- Community
-
More
Want a personalized experience?
Download the free app
Working Moms
SoMoNY
member
Keeping a Foot in the Office Door Can Ease Mothers’ Anxiety
SoMoNY
member
in Working Moms
Thought this was a good article about why moms should work. I agree 100% with it btw
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Keeping a Foot in the Office Door Can Ease Mothers’ Anxiety
It has become a difficult world we live in. In my field (law), it is going to be very, very difficult to get back into the game in any meaningful way if you have taken even a couple of years off. I know people that tried to do it and it didn't work out too well. There is simply too much competition with the latest and greatest graduates of Harvard and Yale that are willing to do your job, work 80 hrs a week for half of what you expect to be paid. And I live in NYC area - probably one of the best job markets for attorneys in the US.
On the flip side, it is becoming more difficult to find part-time work. I know my particular employer really does not like granting part-time work. Believe me, I would love it if they did.
Flexibility is the key, but still elusive for many working moms out there -- that is, unless you are self employed.
This is pretty much the exact reason that I have stayed working part-time even though it really doesn't make a whole lot of financial sense for me to do so. I still come out ahead financially, but my income does not raise our overall standard of living. However, I was raised by a woman who found herself single after 33 years of marriage to the same man and she would have been up sh*t creek if she had left the work force when she had kids.
Edit: I'm an attorney, too, in commercial litigation and I second the pp's comment about the fact that there are too many recent grads out there willing to do your job for half the pay.
2011: FSH 13.3 & E 99; AMH 0.54 2nd FSH 6.2 E 40's AFC: 8
BFP from Clomid/IUI ~ Pre-e and IUGR during pregnancy ~ DS born 9/4/12
Feb./March 2013: AMH less than 0.16 (undectable) and AFC = 4;
BFP from supps ~ DS#2 due May 2014
May 2014 January Siggy Challenge:
Your total compensation package includes benefits.
When I went part-time, I was able to keep my benefits, but I had to pay more for health insurance, which seemed fair (to your point.) Extending PTO didn't really cost my particular company more because it's not like they had to hire a temp.
I worked 75% of my hours and got 75% of my compensation package.
I understand what you're saying, and I am truly sorry for stay-at-home moms who end up divorced and having to re-enter the workforce on terms other than their own. But there are also plenty of couples with a SAHM who will have successful marriages and are happy and feel that they did the best thing for THEIR family. You can't tell everyone they should live their lives a certain way just because this bad thing that happens to other people can happen to them. It's their life. If you feel strongly about this, save your lessons for your daughters. Moms are tired of being told what they should and shouldn't do at every turn.
I did read the article, and the original NYT article, and several responses to it. If I remember correctly, all of the moms were happy with their decision to take time off to be with their kids, even the ones who struggled to find a path back into the workforce. In a separate article, it was revealed that the divorced mom who was 'earning 1/5 of her previous salary' was earning $100,000 a year instead of the $500,000 she made at Oracle.
I see what you're saying but I don't think it's the exact same thing. For years, staying home with your children was considered the default and most ideal option (and that opinion still holds in some circles). There's difference between challenging the conventional wisdom and telling women there's a one-size fits all solution.
By all means, do what's best for your family and for yourself. But it doesn't mean we shouldn't talk about the pros and cons of our decisions. (And let's face it, she posted this on the WM board where women are looking for support around WORKING. She didn't post this on the SAHM board to change minds. This is like posting a pro-BFing article on the Breastfeeding board. Would you say that's insulting to moms who chose formula?)