A recent ABC Nightline news report revealed of the 7.2 million married women with children in the U.S., more than 60 percent are in the workforce (Marish and Koppel 1). Married women with children are often viewed as selfish, because they are seen as preferring work in order to maintain a certain level of lifestyle more than they seem to value the welfare of their children. Yet, many view these women as part of a new generation of married mothers, who, unlike their predecessors seek more challenging careers than those that are part-time or refuse to give up careers for which they trained.
Traditionally, many married mothers would end their careers to have children, then, once the children were born, they would take part-time jobs. For example, a teacher would retire to have children and then go back to work part-time as a secretary. Yet, many contemporary married mothers believe they can have a family and career, not have to choose one at the expense of the other. According to one report “Many of them recognize this is going to be difficult. They aren’t living in a fantasy land but think of strategies that enable them to do both” (Dodd 11).
Despite a majority of married mothers employed in the workforce, there are many experts and individuals who argue that a married mother’s first priority is raising her children. As one outspoken individual relates “The kid comes first, bottom line, end of story” (Marish et al, 1). Many others view married mothers who work as being selfish or greedy. This group tends to believe that married mothers who work do so because they do not want to make material sacrifices to their lifestyle to stay home and raise children. Some experts even argue that when wives work, it not only has a detrimental impact on their children but also their husbands! In a study conducted at the University of Chicago, researches found that “When married women work more than 40 hours a week, their...