Allow me to introduce you to my wife.
She works at least 80 hours a week, is a business woman, an educator, and does a good deal of work in the health care field. She is, however, highly frowned upon in the world of "professional" women.
I say this because my wife is a stay at home mom.
The trend towards equality between men and women is a very good thing; personally, I feel that women should be able to achieve anything in life that they desire, just as men should. They should be able to make choices that direct their destiny and lead to full contentment and happiness in life. Those choices should not, however, be limited to the "professional" arena.
To call a stay at home mother anything less than a professional is to be ignorant of the facts. Mothers are often the child's first teacher, as basic reading, writing and math skills are usually learned by a child before they enter kindergarten. Stay at home mothers also often direct the family's finances, and are always involved in the day to day physical maintenance of the house. It is no surprise to me, then, when there is a faction of professional women that CHOOSE to return home to be with their children and either scale back or postpone their professional careers at least during the early part of their children's lives. There is, however, very little support among the feminist community for this mindset. They often feel that such women are lessening the rights of other women by resigning themselves to traditional female roles, even if it's clearly by choice.
I am 100 percent in support of equal rights, and will gladly lend my time and support to stand up for the rights of women in the workforce. But I will stand equally strong in support of those women who choose to stay home and make their primary career choice that of wife and mother. It is just as noble a calling (and MAY be more so).
signing off,
Gideon MacLeish