The Arkansas Times recently published an lengthy article quoting scholars as saying that the media’s portrayal of mothers and work is one-sided and fails to comprehensively explain the many reasons why some women don’t return to the workforce after they have children.

Heather Boushey, an economist with the Center for Economic Policy Research, told the newspaper that media only tell part of the story. "If you go out and interview women who are at home and you say, ‘You’re a mom – are you at home because you’re taking care of your kids or because you couldn’t find a job?’ they may have cultural and social reasons to say it’s because of family, but most also say they would like to get back to work," Boushey told The Arkansas Times. "What we hear is the first part – that’s what gets reported." (July 2007)