Have Middle-Class Women Been Priced Out Of Having Kids?

Wednesday, September 5, 2012 Have Middle-Class Women Been Priced Out Of Having Kids? Compared to many, Carrie Dottellis and her husband are well-off. The 36-year-old is a self-employed bookkeeper and business manager with seven clients, including a yoga studio and a law firm. Her 26-year-old husband, Ryan Palmer, bartends at a popular restaurant in Washington, D.C., where they live in an affluent neighborhood, The Palisades. Together they clear $100,000 annually, which makes them at least middle class -- an August Pew Research Center report defined middle-income households as those with three residents and earnings between $39,000 and $118,000 annually. But that $100,000-plus never has a chance to accumulate in the couple's bank account. They spend $1,800 per month, plus utilities, to rent an 800-square-foot duplex. Dottellis has $30,000 in undergraduate loans to pay off; her husband has $120,000, plus the cost of the online classes he's taking to become a teacher, which they are covering in cash. Combined, they have nearly $15,000 in credit card debt. Judy Blume Reveals Breast Cancer Treatment Why You Should Talk About Sex, Baby Guess Who Lena's Dating? (Hint: Not Andrew Rannells) Lizzy Caplan: 'We're Not The Same 30 That Our Parents Were' WARNING: Kotex-Rejected Tampons Stolen And Resold BLOG POSTS Lisa Belkin: Michelle Obama: What Does She Mean By 'Mom In Chief'? It was the only off-key moment in the whole transcendent address -- one that had been, until then, a pitch-perfect blend of the personal as political. Cecile Richards: Dispatch From Charlotte: The Stakes in November Barack Obama has fought for women over the last four years -- and that's why we're fighting for him in this election. Carrie Tuhy: 3 Reasons Hillary Clinton Will Not Be Speaking at the Democratic Convention The woman who shattered the glass ceiling in 2008 will be absent from this convention, missing her party's party for the first time in over a quarter of a century. Where is Hillary Clinton and why is she not speaking? Barbara Dehn: 6 Essential Questions About Breast Cancer Screening How many of you are confused by the seemingly endless rounds of recommendations about breast cancer screenings? I know that I am, and so this post is designed to help answer six essential questions that will help you decide what to do about breast cancer screening.

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