I've heard it all now, apparently it is selfish for someone to get a job if their husband earns a decent salary?

[iwantajob]

I am a regular but have namechanged because I think the people who had this conversation are perhaps mumsnetters and I'd rather not be identified especially as I overheard their conversation.

It went along these lines. A couple of mums were talking about someone else and how she's looking for work. They then commented that she doesn't need to find a job because her husband earns a decent wage and that actually for her to find a job is selfish because it takes away a job from someone who genuinely needs it. I was

I am currently looking for work and my dh earns a decent salary. But I have been at home for seven years and I am now ready to go back to work now my children are at school. Of course the job market is difficult at the moment and competition is tough. But are there really people who believe that if you already earn a decent amount of money then someone like me is selfish for wanting a job of my own?

If I get a job am I selfish because I have potentially taken that job away from someone who is in a lesser financial position than I am?

Good god, well then I'll be really, really selfish when I (eventually... currently SAHM and preg with DC3) return to the workforce! I chose to stay home for, ooh, lots of personal reasons, and equally will choose to return to work p/t when DC3 in school (assuming I can get work, of course).

I actually will never need to work again. Does that mean I shouldn't?!

Some people are weird....

So not only is it selfish to get a job if your household can manage on the one wage already coming in; but it is also selfish to take a poorly-paid job if you are capable of/qualified to do a higher-paid job? WTAF? Have we timeslipped back to the end of WWII when all the women got chucked out of their oh-so-neccessary-to-the-war-effort jobs to make way for the returning troops?