To ask if my situation was unusual?

[TestMatch]

I was born in 1972 (probably with Gilbert O’ Sullivan gently playing in the background)

My mum went back to work full time less than a month after I was born. She was a determined career woman and pushed hard for promotion etc.

When I told my colleague this, she said how unusual this was. She was born in 1980 and said that my situation was so unusual in that her own mother and mothers of the 1980 born kids she was in school with either didn’t work at all or only went back to work - full time at least - when their kids were around 12 - secondary school age.

My mum was in the RAF and I remember her telling me you had to leave once you were pregnant. She managed to hide her bump for a while but once her uniform stopped fitting the game was up. This was 1973

I was born early 70s and my mum did go back to work. She was a nurse, we were very much working-class, and she had a driving license.
A few years ago she told me how upsetting it was to come home after a hard shift and to know every other woman in our street was a SAHM.

I was born in 1985, mum went back to work within a couple of months.

We had Nannies, and then au pears until we were ok after school.

She worked solidly, until retiring.

My mum went to work outside the home once my youngest sibling started school.

My sister was 1979 and I was 1983 - our mum was a Nurse up until she had my sister and then didn't work again until I was about 12.

My husbands (1976) mum was a cook in a school and didn't go back to work til he started secondary school and I'm sure that's only because he went to the same school that she worked in!

I don't think it was very unusual to have a mum who went quite rapidly back to work. Fewer women were career driven, but there were still loads who just had to get on with earning money.
Also, attitudes to parenting were different. Far fewer people bought into the idea that they had to be fully present to their children and micro-managing their development. Parents of school-aged children were happy to say goodbye to them at the front door, leave teachers to get on with things unmonitored, and allow their children to return home under their own steam, let themselves in and watch children's telly till the end of the working day.

I was born first half of 70s. Working class, My mum had to give up work when she left to have me. Don’t know if that was an expectation rather than ‘law’. She told me that in her public sector job, women were not allowed to continue to work after having a baby.

I seem to remember most of my childhood friends had similar situations - mums at home for primary school, starting to work part time and eventually full time as we got older. But there were also a handful of women that I remember working throughout, and their kids came to our house during school holidays/after school. I loved having play dates (they weren’t called that then!) all through the holidays.

I was born in the late 70s. My mum worked and we had nannies and au pairs. I think this was a little unusual as I don't remember meeting other people's nannies much. I think my DM took 3 months off with me, but less with DB. It sounded like really hard work and my DM said that she hoped I wouldn't have to work as hard as she did.

When I had DD1, my PIL asked if I was going to stay home with her. I was really surprised by that, as it never occurred to me that I might not go back.

wow I’m SO surprised this happened as late as 80s

Yes I had a Nanny

Absolute rubbish. I was born in 1962 and my mother was a teacher.

I was born closer to your colleague, and my mum was a sah until I went to secondary school, and my dad retired when I was 8. So my situation was quite unusual. Nearly all my friends and peers mums worked. Except a couple on benefits.

But I'd say it's true maybe career women going back soon after having a child was probably not the norm in the early 70s. But maybe I'm wrong?

My mum would've probably gone back after having her babies if her earlier pregnancies hadn't been stillborn. Which was in the late 60s.
As my dad at the time had a lower salary.

I was born a bit later, 1985, but my mother went back after standard maternity leave of 3 months. She would have liked to take longer, but she was main earner so had no choice. Father was therefore primary carer from that point on for myself and my sister (he was a farmer so was around all the time. We would be in my Granny's house and he'd be in and out all day. I know this sounds like my Granny was probably primary carer but apparently not. My mother told me recently that my Dad is the nappy expert, she's still nervous changing nappies 😂).

Certainly more unusual back then than it would be now.

I was born in the 70s, and my mum worked (in a public sector job) throughout my childhood. My grandparents looked after me during the holidays. I'm not sure either of my parents would have described themselves as "career orientated", but they both worked. People who were described that way tended to have middle class jobs, like Cassandra from Only Fools and Horses.

I was born in the early 70s and my mum worked, evenings and weekends, my dad was in the forces and the pay was terrible, she had to work.

She only went full time when i was in late primary, remember coming home to an empty house and being left with my older brother during holidays.

Gosh - genuinely shocked by 1st paragraph !

I was born the same time as you.My mother went to a technical school, because she wasn't posh enough to go to the grammar school.She worked but gave up.when I was born, she had various small jobs until I was around 9 or 10 then she worked more or less full time again.She could drive, she learnt before my father.
Yes I think women in the early 70's were more likely to still be housewives working class.women anyway.
You could.still afford to live of one wage, although the oil crisis caused problems ,it wasn't as easy as some think. had quite a nice relaxed childhood, early years with my mum at home.My father had a very stressful job and he said later carrying the family finacesalone burdened him sometimes.

I’m a 60s’ child and my DM worked when I was a child in a profession. However, this was after my youngest sib started school. She was unusual where we lived but not among her friendship group. I well remember the term ‘latch-key kids’ and I LOVED being one because it was the only time I was ever on my own in the house and enjoyed the peace. It was intended as a criticism at the time.
Many women then married and children really young so hadn’t had much work experience before having children and lots left school at 15, then 26 without any qualifications. The not working thing seemed to shift when I got older due to their children going to school, living in a big city with a lot of employment opportunities but also because the divorce laws had changed and lots of people took advantage of this from the mid-70s onwards.

I was born in 1971 and my Mum worked since I can remember but only Part time.
She didn't have much choice though because my father was a "serial entrepreneur"

1978 baby. My mum was a healthcare assistant and went back to work nights, two weeks after I was born. She had no choice, couldn't have afforded it otherwise. Her 18 year old brother used to come and look after me between mum and dad changing shifts.

I was born in 72 and my brother 68. My mum stayed home until I was 12 and then went back to work.

I was born in 1964, both my parents worked full-time (9-5) but we lived with my Nana so she was with me a lot until I started school. I think it was unusual. It was also unusual that my parents had a car; when I started primary school I'd say only about a quarter of my classmates parents had a car.

I think going back to work, especially FT, after just one month is very unusual - even now.

Going back to work when DC were still pre-school was more unusual then, but not unheard of. I was born in '73 - my mum was a primary school headteacher at the time and my brother had just started secondary. She definitely worked FT whilst he was at primary school. Sadly she died before I got to primary but I think she would've gone back then. I know she did odd days supply/tutoring though whilst I was pre-school.

I had quite a narrow view of the world as a child though. All my friends were from working/lower middle class backgrounds and lived in estates of three bed semis/small four bed detached (afforded by parents who were in their twenties still with only one breadwinner!). I think my mum was more educated than most of the other mums, thinking about it (also older and more travelled - worked abroad for a few years). Didn't know anyone who went to private school. I don't think many mums worked for the pre-school years but most had a low hours PT job for primary/secondary at least. At uni I met people from private school for the first time (in fact nearly all of my friends then went to private!) and it seemed more usual for them to have more educated mums with careers.

Re your first paragraph - yes totally agree - much more unusual now - but I think it’s because there’s much better Mat Leave provision