I have a special needs child, so I am glad that I could stay home and take him for his therapies. On the other hand, when my ex left after 27 years, it was hard to re-enter the workforce. Now that I've been divorced for over 2 years, I'm glad he's gone, but yes, sometimes I think I would have wanted to do it differently in hindsight. Being that vulnerable is awful, and for some women, it keeps them in bad marital situations because of the financial dependency.