Are more women returning to work because of the economy

A recent New York Times article More Women Look For Jobs, quotes Katherine A.S. Sibley, chairwoman of the history department at St Joseph's University as saying "From the Depression through the recessions of the early 1980's and 90's financial necessity has forced women at home with children to head into the work force." So one can presume that the recent economic situation has required many women to rethink their decision to stay home with their children.In fact, this New York Times article quotes Allison O'Kelly, chief executive of Mom Corps, a staffing firm in Atlanta as saying about her clients... "In the past, they wanted to work to make a little extra money for themselves or the kids summer camp, things like that.  Now it's an urgent necessity that they work.  Women are being less picky... the type of job, as well as its hourly schedule, isn't as important."

In my own coaching practice and with my own acquaintances, I have seen a similar trend. Take my friend Janet, for example.  She had practiced law until her third child was born and then chose to stay home full time.  Fast forward 15 years and she often talks about returning to work but there was always a qualifier of "someday".  Then the stock market decline cut both her husband's  retirement plan and the college savings accounts for her children, in half.  Suddenly, "someday"  had become "now."  I find that there are a lot more "Janet's" than there used to be.

I have a survey on my website called the Back to Work Readiness Test that anyone can take that helps to define how motivated the test taker is to return to work. 

(If you want to take the test and get the answers from me, click below but be sure to put your email and name in the comment section to the first question or I will not know who to return the answers to).

One of the questions in the survey asks whether the extra income of a job is important to the family.  In answering that question most respondents recently have given that question a score of five out of five indicating that the income is most important.  While my small sampling wouldn't qualify as statistically valid, I do think the results are interesting.

So I am sure it is no surprise that more women now want to and need to go back to work.  The big question will be what kind of jobs will be available to this portion of the workforce and what are the best ways to go about finding those jobs.