women working or dropping from workforce

[flowerboy]

Another thing that is weird where I live, the younger crowd and older 55+ crowd work. My age seems to have given up 30-50 age

 

[Colleen27]

Another thing that is weird where I live, the younger crowd and older 55+ crowd work. My age seems to have given up 30-50 age

It seems to be that way around here too. I think part of that is the current economy - older workers had enough seniority to avoid some of the layoffs of recent years and enough experience to be attractive even in a more competitive job market, and younger workers are more likely to be childless and/or single so they have more ability and incentive to take any offer to remain in the workforce. Those of us in the middle with children at home have to hold out for a certain income level to make working worthwhile after paying for child care, and we're at an age where we're more likely to be married and not the only source of income for our households.

I've seen a lot of that play out around me - a woman gets laid off from a $40K/year job and the only offers she's getting are for $20K/year jobs (or worse, part-time hourly positions that require wide-open availability). If she's childless or single she takes what she can get, but if she's got a husband whose job can make ends meet and childcare costs to factor in she is likely to decide that pay isn't worth the balancing act between work and home life.

 

[cybrkitn]

I'll share my experience: I'm in my mid fifties and work full time. I worked full time after I was married and then stopped working for about ten years while our kids were young and then rejoined the workforce once they were both in school. What I found is that it wasn't that hard to get back into the workforce. But now I have a dilemma. My employer is eliminating all of the IT positions at my bldg in the fall. Several of my coworkers are waiting until that date to look for another job because they want to get the severance check and are not worried about the ability to get another job. I am thinking that i should start looking now to avoid a potential of a break in paychecks. Would you start looking now or wait?

I'd start looking. The company I worked for almost 7.5 years was closing it's doors by 2008. Once we were notified, I immediately started looking so I wouldn't have a lapse in paychecks. I found one fairly quickly (by Nov 2007). Unfortunately, that company had to downsize 1.5 years after I joined and 8 of us were laid off . I wasn't able to find another job after that and became a SAHM. I still can't find anything permanent and can hardly find any temp assignments either.

 

[cybrkitn]

Our area is very working-class and a lot of families look forward to the day when the kids are all in school and both parents can work without one salary going almost entirely to childcare, but my husband's hours are so erratic that while I do plan to devote myself to building a freelance business I don't want to be worrying about my own work schedule vs the kids' activity schedules.

That was my problem when I was working full time. Most of my paycheck was going to pay for daycare for DS10 when he was younger and then for before and after care at school. We've worked it out between my FIL and my mom to be here when DS gets off the school bus M-Th. On Fridays, I have it worked out with a friend of ours to pick DS up from his after-school activity b/c her son and mine are both on a bowling league together. Although, that will be ending on the 17th of this month so now I have to find other arrangements (if I can find another temp assignment or a permanent job).

 

[CupcakeKelly]

I'm a mom who works full time. I don't have a "mom job" and it makes things tough sometimes when both my DH and I are busy at work and we have to pick up DD b/c she's running a fever. I'm in tax, and it's definitely the norm for women to go back to work after having kids. While I was working for a Big 4 firm there were 8 women I worked with at one time that went out on maternity leave, and they all came back to work after leave.

 

[PollyannaMom]

Are women around you guys dropping out of the workforce? I feel like i'm the only women working in my circle of friends. So jealous of them exercising together, lunching together, after school with kids together. All my friends were working but now just say its not worth it. All are married with husbands with good jobs. I could never think about quitting. I'm just to scared to. I'm like Elizabeth Warren says in the "Two Income Trap"

It's the opposite where I am right now. When we moved here, the neighborhood was full of SAHM's. But as the kids got older, most of us have drifted back into the work force either full or part time. I do sometimes miss the social aspect of the way it used to be.

 

[Planogirl]

Most everyone I know in this area works. In fact the only friend I have that doesn't have a traditional job is a man!

I'd love to quit but I'm providing insurance which I suspect helped DH keep his job when his company was laying off people. He asked for no benefits so he is a lower cost employee. I'm afraid to change anything.

 

[Disneybuckeye]

Most of the women were SAHMs when my kids were in school and I joined them for 10 years. DH did not think I could do it, but we loved it. I went back once youngest was able to drive as my kids went to private same sex high schools that were not close to where we lived. It was just easier to be home because of all the driving for school, sports practices, activities, etc. Now I am working full time as everyone is either in college or out. Half of what I make goes to my 401K and the rest pays for vacations, extras for the kids, and travel to watch DD play college lacrosse.

I loved being a SAHM and spending that time with my kids. I thank my DH all the time for how well he takes care of us and how hard he works. I know I was very fortunate as my sister will never have that opportunity.