None of this, according to the Pew Center’s results, has made mothers any more enamored with the workplace. On the contrary, stay-at-home mothers have grown happier with their lot while full-time working mothers have grown more disenchanted with theirs. Ten years ago 38 percent of at-home mothers said not working was the best option for them; now 48 percent say so. The percentage of full-time working mothers that describe their situation as ideal has dropped from 24 to 16 percent over the last decade, and they are less likely to give themselves high marks for the way they’re raising their children.
Instead of applying their considerable influence towards helping mothers get what they want, feminists who do acknowledge the opt-out trend use their public platforms to harangue women. In her 2006 book, Get to Work, Brandeis professor Linda Hirshman accuses mothers who take any time out from their careers of laziness and squandering their political influence. Vanity Fair writer and frequent Today Show guest Leslie Bennetts tries to frighten mothers into full-time employment, warning them that their husbands are likely to die or leave them.
Is this all mothers can expect from academia and the publishing industry—spin, lectures, and scary stories?
The part-time arrangement the majority of moms favor shows a wisdom that respects the value of mothering as well as work and earning. It allows them to continue to use their talents in the public sphere while protecting their precious time in the private sphere. It also keeps their skills sharp and their résumés active for if and when they decide to fully return to the workforce.
Women are smart enough to know what works best for them, and despite the efforts of certain news outlets to exploit their differences, stay-at-home and working moms have clearly found a common ground. They tried the old traditional way that left them unfulfilled and intellectually stifled. They tried the career-first way that left them exhausted and emotionally conflicted. Now they have settled on a third way that allows them to benefit both the marketplace and their families. Rather than stir up childish playground shouting matches, women’s advocacy groups and the media need to find ways to support mothers’ choices.