Friday, October 31, 2003
San Jose Mercury News: Supermom, you may be going out of style.
New figures from the Census Bureau show a slight decline in the number of women going back to work within a year after they have a child, reversing a longstanding trend. This could be a blip, or it could signal that the generation of women who thought they could have it all -- marriage, kids, career -- is gradually giving way to a generation who recognize that something has to give.
Over the last 40 years, the birth-control pill and the legalization of abortion have given women unprecedented ability to make choices about child bearing. Anti-discrimination laws have opened up opportunities for education and careers.
Not surprisingly, once they were given choices, millions of women decided to pursue careers before having kids. Some never had children, by choice or by chance. Between 1976 and 2000, the number of childless U.S. women 40 and over nearly doubled, from 10 percent to 19 percent. Those who had babies felt pressure to return to work as soon as possible.
Then something happened. The number of new moms who went back to work right away began to drop -- from a high of 59 percent in 1998 to 55 percent in 2002 -- despite new welfare rules that encouraged women to work and a recession that pressed families to make ends meet.
Priority
Perhaps more significant, the number of women without kids also fell slightly, from 19 percent in 2000 to 18 percent in 2002. Apparently more women are making motherhood a priority.
It's too soon to tell whether this report signals a societal shift or a short-term, post-Sept. 11 focus on family.
Perhaps a generation raised by harried working mothers decided to put more emphasis on parenting and postpone that climb up the corporate ladder.
Or perhaps those harried moms, who dared to want it all, pushed for better family leave policies, and today's new parents are reaping the benefits.