Betty Dodson with Carlin Ross

Better Orgasms. Better World.

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The Daily Beast has finally proven what I've known to be true - that career women who opted out of the labor market are bearing the brunt of the economic meltdown. 

I so remember that NY Times piece about the Opt-Out Revolution like it was yesterday.  It was this phenom where women with Ivy league educations and corner offices were "opting out" of the labor market to be soccer moms citing the stress of balancing work and family (and the fact that you're penalized for motherhood while your male counterparts are promoted for having the stability of a loving family, oh, and you still have to do 80% of the household chores).  First, I thought about how much trust that takes in your partner and your marriage.  What if your husband dies?  What if your marriage fails?  Where are you then?

Well, it seems that things haven't been so rosy.  First, there were the failed marriages that left many women moving out of state to manage their finances.  For the marriages that lasted, many of their husbands are out of work and these women are trying to reenter the labor force at the worst possible moment in history.  I can't imagine the stress. 

Here's a dose of reality:

Studies have found that for every two years a woman is out of the labor force, her earnings fall by 10 percent, a penalty that lasts throughout her career. 

The message that women must take financial responsibility for their own lives is resonating throughout the world with the advent of micro-lending programs targeting women including the Clinton Global Initiative (Bill Clinton stated that the fastest way to increase income is to educate young girls and give them access to the labor market).

So we can't just "opt out" and take our hands off the wheel because you never know what's coming around that corner.  I can hear that Peaches song in my head, "IUD SIS stay in school cause it's the best".  And I would add: stay in the workplace.