Chicago Tribune staff reporter Barbara Rose considers the recent reports that women are “opting out” of their jobs.
This "opt out" revolution is being led by highly educated graduates of some of the nation's elite colleges, according to studies and media reports.
A new survey challenges this popular wisdom by suggesting that women's career decisions have been misunderstood. Rather than opting out, professional women are choosing to stay employed by negotiating flexible arrangements such as shortened hours and restricted travel. "Women are trying to `make work work,'" concludes the study from Simmons College School of Management in Boston.
An added shocker: Women who said they used flexible arrangements at some point in their careers were not hit with a "mommy tax." Holding constant for age, educational level and other differences, they earned as much as women who asked for no special flexibility, the study said.
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