Dispelling our most cherished myths about work-family balance, Suzanne Venker argues in The Two-Income Trap that women who want to get married and have children will find their home lives less chaotic and far more satisfying by making motherhood, not career, their primary focus.

The premise of The Two-Income Trap: Why Parents Are Choosing to Stay Home is that childrearing is no longer recognized for the enormous undertaking it is. ‘Having it all’ is an impossible goal for anyone, male or female. The needs of children don’t allow two married parents the freedom to dedicate themselves fully to something else. 

That isn’t a bad thing, says Venker. It’s a good thing.

It’s time to shift our paradigm. There is value in pursuing both work and family; but prioritizing family over career, and being realistic with one’s goals, is the only way women can be successful at both. The ?Two-Income Trap does two things: helps elevates the status of parents at home, and helps mothers who want to be employed create a life that works. 

Without the stress. Without the guilt. Without regret.