For many women choosing whether to work or not to work outside
their home is a luxury: they must work to survive. Others face a hard
decision. Perhaps the easiest choice has to do with economists.
One husband said, "Marge and I decided after careful consideration that for her
to go back to work at this moment was an extravagance(奢侈) we couldn’t afford,"
With two preschool children, it soon became clear in their figuring that with
babysitters(临时照看小孩的人), transportation, and increased taxes, rather than having
more money, they might actually end up with less. Economic
factors are usually the first to be considered, but they are not the most
important. The most important aspects of the decision have to do with the
emotional needs of each member of the family. It is in this area that husbands
and wives find themselves having to face many confusing and conflicting
feelings. There are many women who find that homemaking is
boring or who feel imprisoned(被禁) if they have to stay home with a young child
or several children. On the other hand, there are women who think that
homemaking gives them the deepest satisfaction. From my own
experiences, I would like to suggest that sometimes the decision to go hack is
made in too much haste. There are few decisions that I now regret more. I wasn’t
mature enough to see how much I could have gained at home. I regret my
impatience to get on with my career. I wish I had allowed myself the luxury of
watching the world through my little girl’s eyes. Which word in the first two paragraphs best explains why many women have to work