ABSTRACT
Whatever may happen in the longer run, it is clear from the evidence brought together in Part Three that in the immediate future only a small proportion of well-qualified married women are likely to work full-time during the years when they have small children. Most intend to take a more or less long break while they have children under nursery school age, or at least to cut their work commitments drastically. Many intend to work for less than a standard working week when their children are over this age but still growing up. Many, like those whose evidence is collected in Working Wonders, never intend to return to full standard working hours at all, or at any rate (whatever the total number of hours they work) to let themselves be bound by standard starting, finishing, or holiday times. Those who do intend to work full hours according to standard timetables may still be reluctant to accept undefined commitments to overtime or to coping with out-of-hours emergencies.
