Someone, somewhere has sparked the idea that more and more educated, professional women are opting out of the workforce -- primarily to raise children. Only problem is, the hard evidence doesn't really support this.
Among others, the Wall Street Journal has reported on this fallacy. In Opting-Out Trend Doesn't Square With Census Data, Rachel Emma Silverman writes that "There have been a number of high-profile articles about well-educated women 'opting out' of the work force after having children. But a new study published in the June issue of the American Sociological Review says that this so-called opting-out revolution has been overblown. Among the findings: Fewer than 8% of professional, college-educated women born since 1956 leave the work force for a year or more during their prime childbearing years, writes sociologist Christine Percheski, a doctoral student at Princeton, in an examination of census data. What's more, full-time employment levels of women with young children have risen dramatically in recent decades."
One of my profs in grad school used to say that "Where you stand depends on where you sit." The WSJ piece quoted these polar-opposite anecdotes:
- "My pricey neighborhood has dozens of mothers who have been out of the work force for a decade or more and will never return."
- "It's an admittedly limited sample, but among my Ivy League college friends with children, all but one are still working outside the home."
Well, there you have it.
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