Opt-Out Revolution: Lose the myths

In the Columbia Journalism Review, EJ Graff reviews a book about the so-called opt-out revolution: the belief that women with kids decide to "opt out" of the workforce to stay home and be full-time moms.

The link is here:
http://www.cjr.org/issues/2007/2/Graff.asp

According to Graff, women don't really opt out. The current infrastructure gives them few options. With unforgiving companies and school systems with hours based on long-ago farm life, it's just about impossible to combine roles. The media focus on upper-class, educated women with working spouses.

I would refer readers not only to this excellent article (I like articles that reveal media distortions of reality) but also to Bella dePaolo's book, Singled Out. When schedules get adjusted to help parents cope with their responsibilities, often it's the single people who get asked to pick up the slack.