y distresses; but in real life it’s my work that does that. I hate to admit all these contradictions in myself.Re-entry to the Workforce The way in which the contemporary married woman with a family integrates a work career into her life is usually by accommodating to the “social facts” of life and choosing the least stressful options open to her. Though highly qualified women may be assumed to have a range of ability and creative potential comparable to men and, like men, seek to develop a lifestyle in which they can function in their various roles efficiently and productively with some degree of integration between them and satisfactions deriving from them, the social supports for women are lacking. Once the decision is made to have children, a massive dilemma arises.On the other hand, women are seen as fortunate to have the choice as to whether or not they work, as the family livelihood does not usually depend on the wife but on the husband in his role of provider. On the other hand, her range of options is in fact severely curtailed by virtue of the fact that she is expected to carry responsibility for familial roles and to subordinate her own career aspirations to those of her husband.This narrowing of options, coupled with the tendency for environmental institutions to aggravate the difficulties faced by highly qualified women, creates a situation where the onus is thrown very much on to them as individuals to create solutions to their dilemmas. The easiest path is to fall into the conventional role of housewife, at least for a time. Another alternative is to make irrational choices, do unsuitable work, be exploited in jobs of lower status or interest than they would command if they were men. Another alternative is for the woman to interrupt her career, dipping out and re-entering as family situation and stage allow.There are intrinsic and extrinsic dimensions of career aspirations, and the women - though...
