Older, Wiser, But Still a Working Mother

Abstract

Chapter 5 considers how working mothers navigate work and family as they move from the daily responsibilities of raising children to parenting adult children to retirement. As working mothers’ parenting role shifts in conjunction with midlife changes, they may begin a process of career recalibration as they consider what they want to do that is meaningful and engaging in this next life phase. The varied ways working mothers approach this issue is a key focus of this chapter. We go on to discuss some of the late-stage transitions women may experience, including grown children returning home and leaving paid work permanently. Each of these experiences presents women with new choices as they craft the final chapters of their work/life paths.