In a recent column, I suggested the idea of a Mothers' Bill similar to the GI Bill to help integrate mothers into the economic mainstream. Usually it's mothers who have the main responsibility for raising children. But working fathers who are taking care of children need the same kinds of support, namely flexible hours in the workplace, access to affordable child care and after-school programs, and opportunities to catch up on the advancement ladder once the children are grown. The response to a Mothers' Bill has been loud and varied. Framing the motherhood debate is the issue of choice.
Society expects married couples to have children if they are able and willing.
A woman may choose when to have a baby and how many to have over a reproductive lifetime. She may choose not to have a baby, and she may have that choice made for her by circumstances. Still, what seems like a personal choice for an individual woman is ultimately a societal necessity. The future of a population depends on its ability to reproduce itself. The United States is just barely doing that.