How to Add "Mom" to Your Resume?

My professor brought something up in class the other night that really put into words how I've been feeling for quite awhile but couldn't articulate.  The discussion was basically about how our society teaches us mixed gender messages and then expects us to be successful in relationships.

Basically, little boys are taught how to be manly, tough, strong, and independent while little girls are taught how to be caregivers.  We tell little girls it's okay to cry and be in touch with their emotions giving them dolls and playing "house" with them, and then when they start developing into women, we tell them they must now be strong, independent and ask them about their career goals.  Does this seem messed up to you?

This results in really confused young women, not to mention the fact that if and when they do get married, if both the man and the woman are supposed to be self-reliant, successful and dedicated to their careers.... who is going to raise the kids?

Is the woman going to take care of the house, the husband, the kids, and keep adding to her resume?  How do you be the ultimate caregiver and be that strong, independent, career woman?  Our self-absorbed western society is a really complicated system.

I completely resonate with this, and I know a lot of women who can relate.  I'm speaking in blanket stereotypes for the most part here, but a large majority of women have the innate desire to plant themselves, nest, take care of their husbands and bust out a few little rug rats.  And these desires do start when we're young and playing barbies with the neighbor girls.  High schoolers today, instead of being encouraged to continue in the art of caregiving and taking care of a home and family, are asked where they are going to college and what they are going to make of themselves in terms of a career.  I don't know where or how you grew up, but in my family it was just sort of assumed that I was going to college.  It didn't really feel like a choice.  And when asked what my major was and what I "wanted to be" when I grew up, I felt like I needed to have some smart answer to impress people, because if I just said I wanted to be the best mom and wife I could be, somehow that wouldn't be good enough.  (For the record, I never did find that "smart answer" because with my set of gifts and talents I couldn't justifiably squeeze myself into the high-paying profession box but this is just the way it felt as an 18 year old ;-)).

No, I'm not having an identity crisis, and no there's nothing wrong with going to college and making a better life for yourself.  I'm just being challenged right now in the way that I look at the world and the society I live in, and I think that we need to be careful in raising this upcoming generation and projecting our "smart" ideas of what we think success is onto them.  The more advanced the world becomes, the more confusing life is getting... and I think we need to start addressing these mixed gender signals right away.

What do you think?  Can you relate to this?  What messages were you given when you were younger?  How did your family of origin shape your viewpoints on career development vs. family?