It is my moral belief, that it is acceptable for a married woman with children to also have a career. I do not believe that a woman should be restricted to socially constructed duties such as housework and care taking.  I feel that women have aspirations just like men and should be able to pursue them if they wish, without negative judgement.
         We live in a society in which marriages commonly end in divorce and children are born out of wedlock.  This forces the mother to have a career and raise children.  Society often looks at these women sympathetically and as hardworking because it is out of necessity.  However, it is not fair to penalize women because they choose to have a career.  We should not discourage it because it is not out of necessity and does not fit the role of a woman.
         The idea that our nation promotes the very moral belief of equality contradicts the society in which we live. For centuries men have been looked upon as great fathers if they provide financially for their families.  If we actually lived in a nation grounded on equality, society would look at women with greatness if they had a career and provided for their family.
        I also feel women contribute greatly to the workforce.  If women were excluded from the workforce, I believe that our country would suffer considerably.  Women have given many contributions and ideas to this society and I do not believe they were made at the expense of their family or children.  I do not believe a child suffers because his/her mother is at work.  I believe a child suffers if their family home is unstable, neglectful, or abusive.  Morally, however a working mother does not equate an unstable home life.
        Sociologically speaking, my moral belief stems from the ideology that the man is the norm.  I have been raised in a time where society values male characteristics more than female.  We tend to hold men up as the standard to which women aspire to be.  Therefore, I do not feel it is wrong for a woman to want to deviate from her womanly duties.  Women have been made to feel less adequate and therefore are aspiring to have what men have.  For example, the ideology of a man would be strong, independent, aggressive, and the provider financially.  These are all powerful and very respected characteristics.  The ideology of a woman would be emotional, dainty, and passive.  These characteristics are less powerful and less respected.  They denote that a woman needs a man to care for them.   This example shows how we hold men as the norm.
        This leads to another sociological idea, in which domestic work is devalued.  Unpaid work, such as house cleaning and child rearing is not valued as much as a paid jobs.  This devaluation of work lends women to want a more glamorous and noticed job.  Sociologically, we cannot blame a woman for aspiring to work out of the home when we devalue the work done by housewives.
        For example, consider this typical scenario.  There is a group of people congregating at a party.  There are three businessmen, two women with careers outside the home, and two housewives.   In introductions, they discuss careers and education amongst each other.  The first man and woman discuss how they have their masters and work at corporate jobs.  When it comes to one of the young housewives, she informs the group she is a housewife with two small children.  The collective thought of the group would most likely be that the woman is uneducated and her job as a housewife is far less interesting than the two corporate jobs mentioned before her.  This example shows how a woman would a more glamorous and noteworthy career.
        In addition to this, we live in an era in which women are allowed to vote, to go to school, and compete for jobs.  This is a society, which is quite different than previous history.  We see first hand, women who are successful in their career and have children.  It is visible to us in our everyday life and we realize it can be done without hurting our families.  This visibility encourages other women to want to do the same.  The idea of a career and children is not as radical in society as it once used to be.  Women have proof it can be done which gives them a little more confidence.
        My beliefs may also stem from my family environment.  Throughout my life, I have been instructed and conditioned to attend college.  My parents wanted me to have an education and a career.  If I did not have these ambitions after high school they would have considered me to be a lazy girl with no goals.  I feel however, that after obtaining a college degree and establishing a career it should not all end after having children.  Our parents’ condition us to be successful and have careers, yet expect us to switch our mindset after having children to do work that our society feels needs no training. Furthermore, even our school teaches us to be proud of our education and to build upon it.  This mindset does not lend anyone to want to do reproductive work in the home.
        The society in which we live plays yet another role in our thinking.  We have been raised in a capitalistic society.  Money makes the world go round.  To many people, it can give you freedom or restrict you.  In this case, why would a woman raising children not want to make money?  We are trained to think of everything in terms of money.  If you have more money your kids can go to better schools, or wear better clothes, drive better cars.  Why wouldn’t a mom want to take the many opportunities out there to make money instead of stay at home and do unpaid work?
        Money can also make someone feel more powerful.  In this society it is considered prestigious to have money.  You can fit in a certain class.  It seems logical that a woman who has thus far been devalued would like to fit in a more prestigious class and feel more powerful.
        In conclusion, my moral belief that it is acceptable, for a married woman with children, to also have a career stems from many sociological ideas. The environment in which I was raised and our capitalistic society play a large part in my beliefs.   The devaluation of domestic work and the idea of man as the norm also play a part.  It seems very contradictory to expect women to want to stay at home, when we train them to believe the work is less than glamorous.