This was the case for us. My wife has just gone back to work after 17 years. She's doing brilliantly and is very glad to be back working, but doesn't regret her absence from the workplace one bit. Mercifully, we were in a position where we could afford it, and it was absolutely the best thing for our family situation. If we had small children today, we wouldn't be able to afford it.

Great article by the way, and I agree with all you are saying.