Social conservatives now assure American women they can still “have it all” if they just do it in sequence, starting with early motherhood and later taking on a job. The Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 Report claims it’s a mistake for women to postpone childbearing to pursue higher education and begin their careers. Heritage spokeswoman Emma Waters advises women: “Use your twenties and early thirties for babies and brainstorming. … Then, in your forties and fifties, accelerate professionally as your children grow older if you want to.” Yet analysis of recent Census Bureau data suggests one huge problem with following this cheerful advice. More than half of American mothers become the family breadwinner, responsible for more than 60% of household earnings, by the time their first child turns 8. More than 70% of mothers become the chief household breadwinner before their first child reaches 18. The average time a mother spends as the primary wage earner for her family is more than six years. A further 20 percentof women start motherhood as the family breadwinner. If fam