Seriously? So says a Reuters story which argues that encouraging women to combine childrearing with working could boost the world’s economy.

“Getting women to have children and work poses a conundrum for governments who have begun to realize that women hold the answer to the dual challenges of achieving long-term economic growth and boosting sagging birth rates,” Reuters reported. “Closing the gap between male and female employment would dramatically boost the economies of OECD countries -- by up to 13 percent in the euro zone and even more in Japan, say Goldman Sachs economists.”

The article quoted Alison Maitland, an English expert on women in business as saying, “This is an issue that is agitating policymakers across the world.” (November 2008)