Women are constantly being told that it's simply too difficult to balance work and family, so if they don't really "have to" work, it's better for their families if they stay home. Not only is this untrue, Leslie Bennetts says, but the arguments in favor of stay-at-home motherhood fail to consider the surprising benefits of work and the unexpected toll of giving it up. It's time, she says, to get the message across — combining work and family really is the best choice for most women, and it's eminently doable.
Millions of working women provide ample proof that there are many different ways to have kids, maintain a challenging career, and have a richly rewarding life as a result. Earning money and being successful not only make women feel great, but when women sacrifice their financial autonomy by quitting their jobs, they become vulnerable to divorce as well as the potential illness, death, or unemployment of their breadwinner husbands. Further, they forfeit the intellectual, emotional, psychological, and even medical benefits of self-sufficiency.
The truth is that when women gamble on dependency, most eventually end up on the wrong side of the odds. The author shares stories of women from a wide range of backgrounds — some triumphant, others heartbreaking.
I didn't have the luxury of giving up my job as we needed both salaries. There were times I wanted to quit as I felt my family needed me more at home!
ReplyDeleteI love that you keep finding books from your move. I hope the new place is working out.
ReplyDeleteIt is, Helen. It's a great apartment, but moving is not easy, even when they hired people to move our things. One of these days, though, maybe I'll finish unpacking everything and get my books in some kind of order on the shelves.
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