LOST ON REENTRY

Though the overwhelming majority of off-ramped women have every intention of returning to the workforce, few understand how difficult doing so will be.While 93 percent of the women surveyed want to rejoin the ranks of the employed, only 74 percent manage to do so. And among these, only 40 percent return to full-time, mainstream jobs. Twenty-four percent end up taking part-time jobs, and another 9 percent become self-employed (see figure 2-10).

The implications are clear: off-ramps may be around every curve in the road, but once a woman has taken one, opportunities to reenter a career are few and far between—and exceedingly difficult to find. Like Judith—whose story was detailed in chapter 1—a great many talented women find the on-ramping struggle a humiliating experience—baffling, unfair, and replete with rejection.

When “Off-Ramps and On-Ramps” appeared in the Harvard Business Review in March 2005, it provoked a flood of letters, e-mails, and phone calls. The response was remarkably emotional. Many women saw their own life stories reflected in our data. Many were still smarting from having been cast aside in the wake of an off-ramp, and their pain was sharp and raw. Judi Pitsiokos was one of many women who shared her story:

I am a graduate of a top-ten law school who worked in the securities department of an AMLAW firm for six years before taking an off-ramp.After several years at home raising my children, I tried to gear up and reenter the workforce. Ten years later, I’m still trying to weasel my way back into a decent job. The best I’ve been able to come up with is working on my own, doing real estate closings, going to landlord-tenant court, and so on. I am bored and angry—with myself and with the law firms who won’t even look at my résumé.When I’ve had heart-to-heart talks with partners at major firms or legal recruiters, they say, “Why would we hire you when we can get a young kid right out of school?” (Since I’ve been out of the mainstream for so long, I am looking for a job at the bottom rung.) Why? I tell them, “Because I’m very smart, very well educated, have a track record, am done with child-care responsibilities and ready to work long hours.” They laugh. Literally.

I wonder what is wrong with a society that cuts smart women adrift when they take time off to raise children. The dollars lost to the economy must be astronomical.

MORE FROM TODAY BOOKS: MONEY

Frustrated with gas prices? Ditch the ride!

Frustrated with gas prices? Ditch the ride! Excerpt: ‘You’re So Money’ No more excuses! Get financially savvy Excerpt: ‘The True Cost of Happiness’ Money tips from the ‘Ultimate Cheapskate’ Excerpt: ‘Stay Mad for Life!’ 4-Hour workweek: How to escape your 9-5 job Trump on how to succeed in business Women & money: Control your finances, life Are you driving your boss crazy?   Add Today Books: Money headlines to your news reader: