Reply #4: That said, mothers have ALWAYS worked outside the home [View All]

Women of color have done so for generations. Ditto for immigrant women; there have been times in our history when entire families worked in textile mills, even toddlers. Farm women were home, of course, but they had little time to "nurture" their kids in the way that we think of it. They had to chop wood, haul water, make meals from scratch (no refrigeration, preserve meat and store vegetables for the winter, make clothing, milk cows, etc. They had little one-on-one time with their children. (Childhood as we know it is also a very recent phenomenon, but that's another issue.)
Also, in "days of yore," any woman who could afford it hired a nanny or governess -- horrors, day care! This allowed her the time to run the day-to-day operations of a household (infinitely more complicated than what we have today) and allow her the free time to contribute to her community, if she wished. Almost without exception, these women did not work outside the home.

The big difference today is that middle-class and upper-class women are opting to WORK outside the home, and they are occupying positions of power. And positions of power, of course, require long hours away from home. This goes for men as well as women. I know people who never knew their fathers because Dad was either at the office or hobnbobbing with power brokers. By the time Dad wanted to make amends, it was a little late.

Every woman has to make her own decision in this matter and I would never presume to judge anyone. Though I personally think that staying home with small children is a good idea, each couple has to decide what is best for their family.

And, of course, we still have the women of color, the poor, the immigrants, who will have to go back to work when their children are infants.