Here's A Shock for Women

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When they moved to California, Steve had no trouble finding a finance job at Siebel Systems. "New company. New job. Everything's booming," he says. But Pat was never home during the week, and Steve was rarely home on weekends. "We were losing Kathleen [now in seventh grade]," says Pat. "She was miserable." The Sueltzes spent several months debating what to do. Could one or the other get home earlier? Should one or the other switch jobs? Should Steve become a consultant to give him more flexibility? Ultimately, Steve made the decision to stay home-despite his pedigrees (Phi Beta Kappa at Occidental, Stanford MBA), despite his career success. It was Pat who had gotten the big job. Pat recalls the note Steve received from his mentor Jerry York, the former CFO of IBM. "It said, 'Steve, you are one of the smartest men I know. This is a very brave thing for you to do.' "