Women Would Rather Work
Judith Warner wrote a compelling article, as she tends to do, about “The Choice Myth,” in which she explains that women do not choose to stay home with their children, and all but the least educated women overwhelmingly prefer to stay in the work force.
The only women ‘opting out’ in any significant numbers were the very richest — those with husbands earning more than $125,000 a year — and the very poorest — those with husbands earning less than $23,400 a year.
The richest stay home because they have to. Husbands earning that much generally have long hours and extensive travel and someone needs to stay home with the kids. And the poorest can’t afford childcare.
So really, no one is “opting” for anything. Pretty much all women want to work, but they do what they have to do based on their financial circumstances.
