Beginning in the later twentieth century, women with small children began increasingly entering the labor force. Some were fortunate in being able to afford adequate child care, or perhaps a grandparent enjoyed keeping the children during the day.

Many women found their jobs to be stimulating and affirming. Many more worked simply because their families could not survive without the money their jobs brought in. This segment included, obviously, many single mothers.

Regardless, working at a paid job is now a major part of life for many young and middle-aged women. Many of these women also want to be parents in a world which increasingly separates parenthood from paid work.

The great separation between jobs and homes began centuries ago. The laboring world became largely male while the home world was mostly composed of mothers and other women. However, this began to change for many reasons, including the need for women to hold civilian jobs during World War II. Regardless, women became a major part of the work force, even while jobs became increasingly performed outside the home.

One effect of the Covid pandemic was the realization that work done through computers could often be done from home. After vaccination against the disease made office work again feasible, some newly home based workers resented returning to the office.

While adjustments are still being made in work/home arrangements, the birth rate continues to fall in developed societies, where a significant percentage of adults work outside the home. Obviously work/home separation especially affects mothers or potential mothers, since they are the ones whose wombs carry the babies and who usually are most important to children in their first years.

Surveys show that many women desire more children than they actually have. For families able to survive on one income for a few years, women might consider reversing the career model: children in the early years of their lives, then beginning a career in their thirties.

This would mean more time to think about career choices. It might also mean time to take academic classes, which can more easily fit into flexible schedules than a job.

We also live longer now. Starting a career in the thirties, or even the forties, may mean choosing with more wisdom than we might have at an earlier age.