Don't remember being "forced" into the workforce. Been working since I was 15; I wanted money to buy my own clothes and records. Mom & Dad didn't have much disposable income.
Worked through college too, had a sister one year behind me. I felt guilty asking my folks for beer and clothing money while they struggled with tuition. But I wasn't forced to work.
Worked after college because I enjoyed having my own place and my own money. Was the grown-up thing to do.
Never thought of stopping just because I got married. I was in a great field (early information technology) with interesting work in a great environment (a college) a few blocks from home.
Took 4 month maternity leave after my first baby. Found a great baby sitter who watched her and later her sister & brother for 10 years at my home when I went back. Was home for lunch (even nursed each for a few months), at school functions, and home less than an hour after the kids.
I would have gone NUTS being a stay-at-home mom. House might have been cleaner and weekends less chore-filled, but I would have been ready to shoot myself. I enjoy adult conversation and discussions, and hated most kids tv. I'm not one to watch the same movies over and over. And my husband was even worse; totally frazzled after a couple of days home alone with the kids when they were little.
I have plenty of stay-at-home mom friends. By the time the kids were 4 they were in preschool for a few hours a day and mom was stuck with not enough time to work or start home projects before pick-up time. I'm not judging whether one route was better than the other, but the benefit for me was that I always had a good income coming in and was able to keep up with the advances in the field.
If I had to do it again, I might have worked part-time for a couple of those years. But I was lucky I had a great employer and now enough years of service for all my kids to go to a private, catholic college for free. (Okay, the first one is at a private EXPENSIVE college not on my tuition exchange plan, but I have hope for the other two!)
I don't believe women are "forced" into the workforce any more than men are.
I have to tell you, I hear this excuse for working (enjoying adult conversation)... as though raising a child shuts you off from the world if you stay at home... Nothing could be more from the truth.
My wife quite work when our first was born, yes, it took her a little time to adjust to it, but it also opened up all sorts of meaningful "adult conversation" and things beyond watching the same show over and over.. which IMHO your child shouldn't be doing anyway.
Lets just go through a few things she's been up to since quitting work, that have kept her from "adult conversation".... She spent several years in various board member positions for a local community group.. she has been a girl scout leader for 5 years and trainer (no we don't even have a daughter)... She is active in our local church and school... She knows just about every child and parent and teacher and adminstrator by name... Active in all sorts of other community activities.... etc etc etc...
If you think all a "stay at home mom" does is clean the house and cook dinner, you are sorely mistaken. All those things that every community needs done just to stay operational, require people to do them, most of the folks that do them are volunteers, and those volunteers fall largely into 2 groups... Retirees and stay at home moms... Yea, the jobs aren't glorious, but without them being recess monitors your kid wouldn't even get to go outside on a nice day, or helping out in the lunch room your kid might not even get a meal served...
Any "stay at home mom" who is "bored" isn't trying... You'd be hard pressed to find anyone, working or not that is as busy as my wife on a typical day.
You like work, that's great, but I just don't remotely buy the line of "need work to keep from going nuts"... there is so much out there to keep anyone who is available busy you won't have time to go nuts.
I have been an at-home mom for 13 years. I taught at a community college before that. I've been home schooling for 7 years.
We (my kids and I) have never watched the same movie over and over again. We don't watch TV because we don't have TV. We have a television set that we use for movies. And, we have the sense to watch a movie once and return it.
We read. We garden. We play piano. We draw and paint. We cook and bake. We talk to.....adults. We participate in community activities. Son is in sports. Daughter is in music.
I don't regret leaving the work force. But, I do shudder when I think of the possibility of having to go back to work. What a bore that would be.
It's not a good idea to think in stereotypes. The "bored at-home mom" is a stereotype. It's better to think of individuals. I am an individual mom at home who loves it.
Of course you are.