Most American mothers work. They work because they need toand also because they like to. Earning money and guaranteeingtheir family's security is an essential part of their lives, acomponent of modern motherhood. "Women work because the economydemands it," says Donna Lenhoff, general counsel for the NationalPartnership for Women and Families. "And because they getpersonal satisfaction from contributing to the economy and tosociety."The perception endures that, in two-income households, womenchoose to work for fancy second cars, sumptuous vacations, andbetter haircuts. Or that they work to fulfill "selfish"individual ambition, as though their working lives were a luxury,like a gym membership, that could easily be shelved to meet thetime constraints of child rearing. For the vast majority of women, nothing could be furtherfrom the truth. Life is expensive these days: For all but thewealthiest families, a second income is not a luxury; it's anecessity. And work, for most women, is not a lifestyleaccessory; it's part of who they are. The child-rearing yearscorrespond precisely to the time when many women's careers arecoming together and these careers represent a lifetime of effort.For them, giving up work would amount to nothing less than beingstripped of an integral part of their selfhood. ...
