When the decision to work outside the home is one they make for themselves vs. one that is made for them by circumstance, the outlook on working is very different for moms.

“I would love to work in the school system someday, if only the pay was better,” said a woman working in the beleaguered real estate industry for more than a decade.  She worries about what she’d actually do if she lost her job.  “I don’t have my resume current at all.”

“I would love to do something with animals, but there isn’t any money in it,” said another woman employed by the same company for 31 years. 

Two single women who work for non-profits love their jobs but not the pay. 

None wanted to quit work, even if it was an option.

The thought of re-entering the workforce and competing against younger, sometimes more qualified women, unnerves them.  “I wish there were more resources for women in their 40s and 50s who want to do something different in their work-life.”

All the women in our Indianapolis group this evening were working moms.  They love their kids who are now tween and teen aged, but they also enjoy working.  They lamented the fact that marketers tend to focus on women who are stay-at-home moms of young children.  “I want to see pictures of women like me who enjoy working and being a mom.”