Unfortunately, for me, a new article about being a single American is saying I should have waited to have kids if I wanted to make more money at work. This is all in the context of recent news stating that 51% of women now live without a spouse. Why is number so high, you ask? Well, according to the article, which quotes professor of social policy at Harvard, Christopher Jencks, part of the number could be attributed to the following:
Women are saying, ‘I’m not ready, I want to work for a while, the guys I hang around with don’t make enough money and they don’t want a commitment,’ Mr. Jencks said…Women of all education levels figure their earning power will flatten out after they have children, he said. “The longer you wait, the higher the level it flattens out at,†he [Jencks] said.
Well, tell me something I didn’t know. I could have stayed in the workforce longer and made more money. But then my ovaries could have dried up and I would be rich, but without my little smiley man. I could have found a new job that might have paid me more, but then I maybe wouldn’t have a part-time gig that keeps me sane and allows for some balance. See, there’s more to being a working mom than just the money.
Unfortunately, as my friend Kitty Time points out, the discussion on this topic stops. And because of that, it becomes just another soundbite to scare women that they can’t balance work and family. That if they stop working and have children, they won’t make more money.
And, well, that just pissed me off. So I’m here to tell you that I’m glad I didn’t wait to have my son, even if it meant all the riches in the world. Does anyone else feel this way, or is it just me?
Tags: working mom, work-life balance
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Yeah, it’s kinda like the saying that “if you wait to have children until you’re ready (i.e. have enough money, enough security, enough maturity), you’ll never have ‘em.”
Of course you can have babies before your career peaks. And you’ll have to decide then whether you want to focus on making more dough while the kids are young, or wait to kick into high gear until they’re older. It’s totally up to the individual.
Me, I’m glad I didn’t wait any longer to have my girl. And I know I can still be plenty successful, especially since I’ll probably be in the workforce another 35 years or so!
Susan @ Working Moms Against Guilt
http://wmag.blogspot.com