"mistaken for her child's grandmother"
No kidding. I NEVER assume anymore. I ask adults at the park with a child, "how old's your little one?" these days, rather than assume sex of the child or the relationship of the so-called "caregiver." By the way, when you see that flabby 30-something chasing around a pre-schooler and 10-mo-old, I'm that kids' MOM!
I can't speak to a woman's need to make her mark in the workplace but I do know that it is the high cost of government (taxes) that forces both men & women into the workforce. It used to be that one income could support a middle class existence. People were even able to save money, and buying on credit was rare. And it is well known that having someone at home during the day with the kids and for the kids is the best insurance that you can have against having the children get in trouble. The lack of a parent at home has also caused many parents to lose touch with what is going on in the schools with a consequence of the school systems devolving into little more than daytime meat lockers.