Were you this? Did your husband make a very nice salary so you could be a "stay at home mom"? I'm sure some mom's did have a part-time job when the kids went to school. But, others plainly depended on the husbands income to take care of the family. Depending on the job, that "nice income" could definitely come with long hours at the job. Not everyone can get a nice income and work 9AM to 5PM Monday thru Friday. I think, back in the mid-to-later 60's, when I was in high school, things were much cheaper and it would have been much easier, financially, to be a "stay at home mom". Even if the wages back then were much lower than today. This was just a subject that I've sometimes thought about. Just what kind of salary would the husband have to make so the wife could stay at home. I would think it would have to be a nice one. I mean.........mortgage, car payment or two, food and all the other bills that go along with life. And, what about saving for that summer vacation, birthday and Christmas gifts? What do you think?
That was the tradition in the olden days - the father works and the mother is a housekeeper and they preferred to be called homemaker. That setup is to give attention to the children which is the focus of the family. But times have changed. From the last statistics I had read, working mothers have exceeded 20% of the working force and the female workers are now 40%. And add to think the numbers of single mothers, that's definitely a paradigm shift in the culture of the family. And with the technology taking over, there might come a time that a stay-at-home mom will be a rare bird. I have been working ever since I graduated from college and I'm looking at my retirement some 7 years from now. My sister is also like me and some close friends as well. The only stay-at-home moms I know are those friends who are married to rich guys.
I'm 12 years older than you, Corie so I almost think of you as my daughters generation. My son in law will be 50 soon. There's a big age difference even on a senior forum. We really aren't all in the same generation in a sense. My youngest sister is 50 and she still has a 10 year old at home, also a 16 year old and one in college. While I have 5 grandsons and the oldest is about the same age as her son. So, totally different lifestyles. She did work but my mom lived with her so it was easier and later she worked from home. Her husband is a Dr and now she doesn't work but might when her youngest is older. She wanted to be At Home for her kids. Plus she has a PhD and why did she go to school all those years to stay at home? The same with my daughter and daughter in law, both dentists. Both could afford to stay home but They went to school for many years and want to work at their careers.
Well, I've often wondered how much a husband/father would have to make to support his family by himself. During my life, I never made that kind of salary. I wanted to, but without a major college degree or having a high paying job, that didn't require a college degree........lower paying jobs is all I could get.
My husband made a decent salary, we weren't rich but we had lived in a few different houses, always had 2 cars, paid for both kids first 4 years of college, the next 4 they took out student loans. Thankfully they were 5 years apart so that made it easier. My husband worked in R & D most of his career, changed companies a few times when better positions or money was involved, by the 90's he was VP of R&D at Catco a catalytic converter company. Before that he worked at Midas but always in top managerial positions. I didn't throw money out the window and in tougher times I could make dinner out of anything. Both kids had about $150,000 in student loans to pay back for 4 years of graduate school and they have done so. Wasn't easy when they were first starting out. Also, the money I would have made wouldn't have been worth it. Paying for child care, clothes for myself, gas...all those little things that add up. I was better off staying home and being there for my kids. It all worked out for the best. I remember when I worked at the bank in downtown Chicago, I was always getting runs in my pantyhose and seemed like I was spending a fortune just on that.
We know a couple, my wife and his wife graduated high school together. The husband had an excellent career in Engineering with Ford Motor Company in Detroit, Mich.. Very, very nice salary that allowed his wife to "stay at home" with the two boys they had. She did have a part-time job, she created at home, but lasted a short time. He got a nice inheritance from the death of his parents, that really contributed to their "Upper-Class" lifestyle they had for years and helped his wife, so she could continue being that "stay at home mom" for her boys. But, not only was she a "stay at home mom", the also had boats, lake cottage and winter/summer homes and went on very nice vacations. He also had a Bachelors Degree in Engineering. All I can say is.....must be nice!
My wife worked when I was going to college on the G.I. Bill and in the first five years of our marriage with one child. Six years int0 our marriage I was making enough money that she was able to stay at home, take care of our one child, donate several days to a charity and care for her aging parents.