A couple of observations after reading Karyn-Grace's post: First, there was never a time when the majority of mothers in North America were able to stay out of the workforce. When LLL had its beginnings, middle class families who were able to live on one income more frequently did so than they do now. This was in large part because women were shut out of many, if not most, professions and faced tremendous social stigma if they chose to work outside the home. But let's not confuse trends among the privileged, and mostly white, middle and upper classes with what has gone on among the majority of North Americans. Second, in the United States, many mothers face an unbearable dilemma: come back to work a few weeks after giving birth or don't come back at all. In most other stable, developed democracies in the world, women do not have to choose between being with their babies and continuing in their paid employment. In the UK, for example, mothers have just gone from receiving six months of paid maternity leave to nine months. Their jobs are held for them, and they are often able to come back on a part-time basis. These conditions do not exist in the US. There are many, many women who desperately wish they could have more maternity leave, but who simply won't (and in most cases, realistically, can't) throw away their livelihoods in a bid to get more time with their babies. Staying home with baby doesn't work so well if the bank is foreclosing on the home. If an organization wants to reject offers of leadership from women who choose the rock instead of the hard place, that organization is indeed welcome to do so. In addition to this practice, this organization might consider working for longer maternity leaves for American women. This would be an excellent way to honor the intense need babies have to be with their mothers, wouldn't it? Kerry Ose *********************************************** Archives: http://community.lsoft.com/archives/LACTNET.html Mail all commands to [log in to unmask] To temporarily stop your subscription: set lactnet nomail To start it again: set lactnet mail (or [log in to unmask]) To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet or ([log in to unmask]) To reach list owners: [log in to unmask]