The employment needs of talented professionals with home-based responsibilities are not being met despite the low unemployment rate. New parents often face the tough choice of either leaving an infant with caretakers or slashing their income. Women still lag in pay in part because they are more likely to leave the work force for family reasons between 25 and 35 when outstanding workers are identified and promoted, says MIT economist Lester C. Thurow. Stepping out of the professional world during these critical years creates a wage gap for the rest of their careers. The wage gap between men and women stubbornly persists with full time employed women earning about 30 percent less than men.
Women only reach wage parity in the part-time arena where they outnumber men three to one.
Yet women seek part-time work in larger numbers than men, despite the low wages. Telecommuting can be a particular boon to small businesses . Inc. In 1996, I started employing women who had been professionals in fields ranging from software engineering to corporate communications but who now wanted to be home-based mothers. As part-time employees with flexible schedules, they updated databases for my two placement agencies for software professionals, Sally Silver, Inc., and Sally Silver Contracts, Inc., while managing their children's care and other responsibilities. I found talented employees and they found stimulating work.