I Know How She Does It: Compromise

The character's Big Juggle is a reality for millions of women, obviously. But the series of compromises has, for most, evolved since Pearson's novel debuted in 2001.

Chiefly, women seem less afraid of jumping off the high-pressure career track, at least temporarily, to make time for raising children.

Most of my urban professional friends who have small children work, but have consciously scaled back their careers for a spell in the name of carving out family time that's not punctuated by frantic phone calls from their assistants/bosses. The new attitude, for some, may be linked to the economy. After all, the state of Upwardly Mobile isn't as "mobile" as it used to be, and promotions are as rare as jackalopes in most industries.

But it's also a slight pendulum swing back from the Equal Rights Amendment-era ideal of "having it all." Like most of my friends, I want the career, the kids and the husband. But I'd also like a little time to enjoy all three.

After years of working long days as a staffer at newspapers and magazines, I'm currently a freelance writer and editor—and had been when I got pregnant.