True feminism is about women having choices including being a traditional wife (assuming she and her spouse are good with that and the family needs someone in that role).

My wife stopped working when with three children, we simply needed someone to be home to raise them. I had a great career as a CFO of a public company. So, we talked.

If she wanted to continue with her career, we would hire a full-time nanny. If she wanted to stay home and be a traditional mom, we could afford that option. The decision was hers. She opted to stay home and raise our children and did an incredible job.

But with smaller families, children grow out of needing a traditional mom at home. And when that began to happen, I saw my wife getting bored. I encouraged her not to get a job, but to pursue a career doing something she loved... real estate.

Without going into the details, today my wife runs her own property services business that has grown from nothing to a very successful small business managing over 50 single family properties for over 20 investors in addition, using her network of contractors she provides remodeling, landscaping, and a host of other property services to homeowners. I am hoping our youngest daughter joins the business, so my wife and I can travel some (I am retired now).

We have four daughters; one is finishing medical school in a year. one is finishing her doctorate in Nurse Anesthesia, one is sleep tech and the fourth is graduating college with a degree in information systems. All are equipped to good livings and that was my goal as a parent. But what they choose to do, should be their choice, and not one imposed by radical feminism or traditionalism.

I do distinguish between traditional wife and traditional mom. The first one is a woman that will cater to her husband's needs without the challenges of being a mom. In exchange for not spending 40 hours a week or more tied to a job, ideally, she creates a "home" that both enjoy. Given the divorce rate these days, I do think opting to be a "traditional wife" comes with risks.

A traditional mom is a full-time job. My daughter has two children in day care, and it costs $36,000 a year. So, a mom caring for children, 24 hours a day and maintaining a household is "working" and the value of those services is likely in the $50-60K range. The decision for a woman to be a traditional mom take into consideration many factors... in our family, one of those factors was my wife is an "amazing" mom. So amazing, friends of our children have remarked from time to time, that they wish they had a mom like my wife. I agree, my wife is amazing.

However, unlike in the past, most women have one or two children, so the time frame that the family "needs/wants" a traditional mom is much shorter. So, what happens when the children no longer need a "full time" traditional mom.

Today, unless a woman wants to transition to a traditional wife (and the family can afford that option), she needs to be aware that the "job" of the traditional mom will end (yes, I know you are always a parent, but the "workload" changes).

For my wife, it was an opportunity to pursue a career and not a paycheck. But if you are not that lucky and assuming the family income was adequate to allow for a "traditional" mom, then consider either getting additional training or figure out how to employ the skills you have. Many careers require one or two years of training to get certified and the cost is pretty minimal.

But do not undervalue, the skills you have. I once hired a woman in her mid-forties as a customer service person. My logic was anyone that could manage children had the emotional skills to manage people. So, what happened to this woman... she retired 20 years later as the Vice President of Sales at the company where I hired her. At another company, I instructed my head of IT and other operational managers long before working at home was common to figure out how to create jobs where "moms" could work from home. Why? Because selfishly, I saw stay at home moms among the most underutilized source of highly skilled and educated workers.

I think many employers have woken up to this reality and if anything, good came from Covid, it was redesigning jobs that could be performed from home. During Covid, my youngest daughter was a senior in high school and worked to afternoons a week in two different homes watching children, so the "moms" could schedule telephone meetings.

Bottom line, true feminism is about choice. Of course, choice is subject to what an individual can afford or in the case of a family, what the family can afford. But within those limits, if a woman chooses to be a traditional wife or traditional mom, more power to her. But I agree with having the ability to fall back on skills that will allow you to support yourself if necessary and can offer you a career when the job of "traditional" mom ends. With planning, it can be done. Lastly, some employers do realize the incredible skills needed to be a "great" traditional mom, when you interview highlight those skills the smart employers will realize the value of them and more importantly, unlike many other employees that are getting burned out by 45, many traditional moms are just dying to get out of the home and test themselves.

Good luck...