This fluid work pattern, which occurs over a number of years and at various stages of motherhood, is known as sequencing. Who Want Marriage, Career, and Family . Reincorporating paid or volunteer work into one's life in creative and innovative ways to accommodate personal and family needs and interests. Not all sequencing women make identical decisions.
Some mothers leave paid employment entirely and spend a number of months or years at home full-time.
Regardless of the many individual ways to combine career and motherhood, sequencing women are united by their decision to forego traditional full-time paid employment in favor of alternative arrangements that better meet the needs of their families. In addition to their proactive choices to either remain or take several years away from paid employment, economic and personal circumstances often impact the decisions that mothers make regarding work. For instance, many mothers are compelled to return to the full-time paid workforce due to disability of a spouse, divorce, or the loss of spousal employment and related health benefits. Many mothers also leave the paid workforce as a result of relocation or corporate downsizing, the need to care for an elderly parent or a family member with a medical condition, and for many other reasons beyond their control. This site is best viewed using a current version of Microsoft Internet Explorer or Netscape .