The more satisfied a person is with her position, the less likely she is to leave.3 So the irony--and, to me, the tragedy--is that women wind up leaving the workforce precisely because of things they did to stay in the workforce. With the best of intentions, they end up in a job that is less fulfilling and less engaging. When they finally have a child, the choice--for those who have one--is between becoming a stay-at-home mother or returning to a less-than-appealing professional situation. Joanna