MOTHERS CAN'T HAVE CAREERS.

The NYTimes has a story of women who struggle with their careers after they choose to have children:

Like other career-minded young women, she hoped the law would open doors. But her promising career at a department-store corporate office ended 15 years ago when she had a baby.

She was passed over for promotions after she started leaving work before 6:30 each evening to pick up her daughter from day care. Then, she was pushed into a dead-end clerical job. Finally, she quit.

But this is the story of a Japanese woman named Yukako Kurose. Apparently, Japanese women have just as much trouble balancing the their families with a long work week as American women do. The Japanese passed an equal opportunity employment law in 1985, but they're finding that it is the work culture itself -- not the law -- that is preventing women from truly achieving equality. Hm... this sounds familiar.

--Kay Steiger

Cross-posted at TAPPED.