Letter: Women's employment in a changing labour market

Mrs Joy Savastano
Wednesday 12 May 1993 18:02 EDT
Comments

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Sir: With reference to your leading article 'Women are making men redundant' (10 May), I write in total support of your headline.

As a 35-year-old mother of two children aged seven and five, I feel strongly that motherhood is increasingly regarded as a second-rate occupation. More and more women seem to be returning to work less than a year after having a baby, happy to pass over the care of their child to someone else.

Do they not realise how much they are forfeiting by not accepting the responsibility of caring for their children themselves? What about first steps, first words, first wee on the potty - all these things are milestones in a child's development and only happen once.

I worked for 10 years as a European marketing executive before having my first child. When I became pregnant, however, all my thoughts were for my child, and I looked on motherhood as a career move. I would not have dreamt of letting someone else rear my child for me.

Yes, money was a problem and for the past seven years it has been a struggle on only my husband's wage, but we have compromised our lives and have got by. Now my youngest child has started school, I have started a new job in our local school - which fits in superbly with my children's timetable - and I find myself wondering where the last seven years have gone.

So to all those women who are pregnant now, I should like to say, relish those early years with your children. They will soon pass.

Yours faithfully,

JOY SAVASTANO

Camberley,

Surrey

10 May

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in