Reply #164: Childcare is a big issue

[Maeve]

With four kids, childcare would have significantly eaten up my salary had I re-entered the job market. Instead, I provided low-cost childcare to my neighbors for a few years. Win-win for us, but not a practical solution for all.
I also volunteered at the neighborhood school--the pool of volunteers has dried up dramatically in the past twenty years since there are fewer of us at-homes. Plus, I have had time to develop my writing and entertainment skills toward my current career. But the choice was mine to make--not dictated by someone else's ideas of a "woman's role". And that is a great deal of what feminism is all about.