I have listed ten career choices that would be good for a woman who wants to have some higher education and a job that will be in a pleasant, safe work environment with reasonably good status and pay. These jobs are all notable for allowing flexible schedules, either part-time or full-time, which would allow a mother to be focused on her family while there are children at home. At this time in the U.S. all these jobs are fairly easy to get. Education requirements range from a certificate diploma to a Master’s degree. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics:
| Occupation | Educational requirement | Licensure requirements | Median
Average Salary |
Flexible hours | Benefits and Drawbacks |
| Nurse | Associates or BSN | Yes, by state | 69,110 | Very | Can work full or part time, in many different settings, good pay relative to education level |
| Vet Tech | Associates | Yes, by state | 31,570 | very | Pay is not high unless one works for a large research company or university |
| Ultrasound tech | 1 yr certificate
Associates BS |
Yes, by state | 65,800 | moderate | Excellent pay relative to education level; Can work part-time |
| Speech-Language Pathologist | MA | Yes, by state and natl org | 72,000 | very | Many different work settings; a national shortage makes finding a job easy; can work full or part time; drawback: long, difficult MA required |
| Occupational Therapist | MA | Yes by state and natl org | 74,970 | very | Many different work settings, long MA program |
| Physical Therapist | MA | By state and natl org | 79,340 | very | Many different work settings, good pay for an MA |
| Social Worker | MA | By state | 54,220 | moderate | Drawback: can be low-pay relative to educational requirement; Can be flexible depending on location |
| Dental hygienist | 2 yr certificate Associates | By state | 69,760 | moderate | Can be flexible though most jobs are full-time M-F; good pay for only a two-year degree |
| Physician Assistant | MA | By state | 89,470 | moderate | Excellent pay but very challenging degree (basically Med school lite); can work part time; many different work settings |
| Home Daycare | —– | Need a state license to run a home daycare | Approx. $200/weekPer child | Not very flexible | Can work from home, which is nice if you have your own children at home; can be hard work to add more little ones; pay is not high; kids get sick a lot |
Teachers and Librarians both have pleasant working conditions, reasonable salaries, and manageable hours, but at present in the United States there is a dearth of available jobs in these fields. Administrative Assistants have low educational requirements, moderate salary, very inflexible hours (8-5, M-F). A good resource for learning about various jobs is Education Portal, which allows you to compare salaries, educational requirements, and so on. On the whole, I’d say I’m not a huge fan of women in the workforce, although I myself work one half-day per week. Being economically-dependent on one’s husband might be a good thing in some ways; it certainly would make it harder for women to bail out of their marriages, and having Mother at home is definitely what most children prefer. However, each couple needs to navigate this issue for themselves, with the husband of course having the final veto power.