No, women weren't forced, but we were told that if you didn't work you weren't worth much. The women's movement has been very destructive to the woman's psyche. We are caught in a catch-22. If you do work outside the home, you aren't a good mom and if you don't work, outside the home, you aren't contributing to the family. Too many of us bought into this and now regret it. My son says he didn't miss out on anything. I was able to have him in daycare for an hour in the morning before school and I was home when he got out of school. I was Team Mom to most of his sports teams and when he was sick, I was able to go into work when my husband got home. I was running ragged, but I felt lucky to be able to be with him as much as possible and still work. I don't know what is the answer. We haven't lived an opulent lifestyle, a second income allowed us to own our home and take a yearly vacation. Can you tell me what perfection is in this situation?
The answer, of course, is there is no "perfection", just everyone trying to do the best they can for their own particular situation. Unfortunately, there are always plenty of people who are willing to tell you you're doing it "wrong", for going to work or for staying home. :-[
Who told you that because my parents never did and I surely didn't give a damn what anyone else said.