The hard reality is that a single, divorced mother raising children has no choice but to get paid work. We all know there is a high % of this group, some who are BWS members here.

I actually believe, as a form of financial insurance any woman wishing to have children, is better to at least have a part-time job (no matter how small) to keep a certain job-specific skill set fresh and to have it as part of her work resume so that the job search is abit easier in the future. Life can be full of unpleasant surprises that affect one's financial base drastically.

One woman who was about to finish her PhD and was 31 at the time, said to me that she wanted to have children.

I said great "but it might better for you to get a job first, then go on maternity leave. Otherwise it will be much more difficult to re-enter the workforce after being out for several years. Employers will not see her in the same way now compared to later, not your line of work".

She didn't have job during her last 6 university years.

So she landed a good government job within 5 months after she finished her PhD that uses some of her expertise. She's probably now wanting to conceive. I dunno I haven't talked to her in awhile.

I'm just be a pragmatist.

Mountain Ash, yes a job does not define a person. The sister-doctor who chose to go part-time even when she was single is a good example. Life is good for her....she paid off her house mortgage on..a part-time salary. So she could have been alot wealthier but she chose not to be.

So a woman's education can pay off ..in spades..if she plans her future in advance.