How to convince my wife to work?

The will to work again starts with your wife and not with you. There were reasons that a wife would love to stay at home and took care of the kids and the chores. If she's going to work again, you'll pay for the baby sitter and that means another expenses and the mere fact that your child is in her forming stage who needs love and guidance from parents. Maybe there were personal reasons like low self-esteem, and the tough competition among employees plus the not so harmonious working relationship and environment. If there's a will, there's a way.

Perhaps she wants to stay home with your child. Is there financial reasons why you want her to go back to work?

You could start by not paying one of the less important bills, for example the cable tv or internet bill. Then if she starts to miss those things, tell her those are conveniences that would only be available if she would get a job too. You can also limit the amount of money spent on other things. Especially what she spends when shopping.

Hello realguy and thanks for posting this interesting discussion. I think you should realise that raising a child entails a lot of work. Especially when they are still that yound. They don't call them the "terrible two's" for nothing. A lot would also depend on the possibilities that are available to you and your wife in the childcare department. A mother will have to be really convinced that her baby is being taken care of properly before she will even consider leaving it alone for a little while, let alone to go to work. And if and when you do find a place that will be okayed by your wife you can expect to have to pay for it. And maybe you'd also need some household help to keep the place clean. Basically it would mean that your wife will be working and not having a lot of money left for the effort. Unless of course she lands a very high paying job, then naturally you'd hardly notice. I've got a feeling that it will be hard to convince your wife that it's a good idea to start working again. The one thing that just might change her mind is that being out of the workforce for too long means it will be so much harder - and I'm not kidding here! - if and when she does decide to go back after a longer period. Unless you are planning to raise more children - because then it would make sense to stay at home - I think that at some point your wife will want to be able to communicate with adults again. And not have to talk to other mothers whose only conversational topics pertain to babies and the raising of them in general. Your wife will want to be able to talk and communicate with people at her own level of experience again and maybe that will happen by itself if you don't push it too much. Just make what you tell her about your day interesting and thus she will acquire a hunger - or a need if you will - for her own experiences during the day and propose to go to work on her own. I wish you all the best1

I think your wife is attached on your daughter and that is normal. If she doesn't want to work for now I think she is only enjoying the time for her daughter. If you can't convince her to work because of that reason..maybe try another option by working at home (I'm also a mom whose working at home, actually I'm also an office woman 4 years ago before I gave birth to my eldest son). If she knows how to used internet (I'm sure she is) she can work online and at the same time she has more time to her child, and that is the best that she could practice her profession.