According to Michelle Goodman’s article, Career Choice: Motherhood Now or Later - Wake Up, Smell the Discrimination and Look Out for Your Career, “if you believe that ‘family life would not suffer’ if mom has a career, you’re in the minority.”

In this worthwhile read (especially for lawyers who have little understanding about the issues lawyer parents face), Goodman points out a number of interesting statistics:

* A July UC Berkeley study revealed that Harvard Grads “went went on to get their MBAs became stay-at-home moms at a higher rate than grads who went on to become doctors or lawyers.” Hmmm….could this be because MBAs perceive career opportunities will exist even after taking time off or that it’s easier to onramp back into business than the law? Or because of business programs or schools, like at Dartmouth College, that have established re-entry programs?

* A Cornell study reports that “mothers were 90 percent more likely to ditch their careers if their husbands worked at least 60 hours a week but that, if the roles were reversed, the husbands would likely keep on working.” Just have to wonder who is doing the laundry, cleaning, meal planning, playdate coordination, bill paying, and back to school shopping….

* This month, “Cambridge University informed us that in the U.S., the percentage of people in favor of moms working full time dropped to 38 percent in 2002, down from 51 percent in 1994.” Hmmm…guess the way you read this statistic depends on who was asked….

If you’re thinking about stay at home motherhood (or are now at home), check out Staying at Home, Staying in the Law: A Guide to Remaining Active in the Legal Profession While Pursuing Your Dreams (American Bar Association, July 2008) for discussion of parenting and the law.