Women's Career Paths are Fluid, Nonlinear

December 1, 2006. I loved Sue Shellenbarger’s Work & Family column in the Wall Street Journal on Thursday, November 30th, “More New Mothers Are Staying Home Even When It Causes Financial Pain.”  I am so glad that she highlighted the fact that women of all income levels are feeling this pull and have choices to make, even if it’s much more financially painful for some than others.  Journalists who write about current trends on women opting out of the workforce are sometimes criticized as hurting the feminist cause because their articles tend to focus more on the affluent rather than the every day working mother. But any argument about whether media coverage of the issue is “classist” misses the point, which is that women’s career paths are fluid and nonlinear.  Very few young women who leave the work force to have children will opt (or can afford) to stay at home forever.  Shellenbarger reminds us that mothers rich and poor alike debate the merits of continuous full-time work.  Unfortunately, the kind of part-time and project jobs that women need at certain points in their lives are hard to find except on a case-by-case basis.  As a result, corporations are missing out on a huge pool of talented labor.  The small business world, on the other hand, is welcoming more and more of these women into its fold every day.  Women who start businesses on their own terms, buy a business or a franchise, or seek project or even permanent employment in small companies are finding what they need: flexibility, control, and income. Women who speak out about their attempts to pace their careers or move in and out of the business world are helping to redefine career success, and that’s a good thing for all of us.