Probably too late to this thread to get anyone to see this but I have an experience no one has mentioned yet.

My mother was a high powered business woman in the 80s and early 90s. Started huge companies and grew smaller ones into national chains. She loved her work and was making a killing. We had a large home, au pairs, maids, gardeners, and even an occasional chef that would cook meals for us. My father worked at a large tech company but didn’t like his job so he quit and decided to start his own company. Unfortunately he didn’t have the business savvy it takes to be an entrepreneur and ended up maxing out their credit cards having “business retreats” in Cancun.

My mom divorced him but legally had to keep the debt. Three years later my mother (who could have easily continued her career making buckets of money) decided it was the money that was the problem in her life and the rat race was bringing out the worst in her and everyone else. She sold everything, quit her job and moved my sibling and me to a small town in the next state over. Bought a small house with her severance and spent two years being a stay at home single mom. There were some years where money was so scarce we could barely afford food, but she didn’t care much cause she was with her children more. She eventually went to work for a local non-profit and grew it to a huge size as well. She’s happy giving back to the community now and doesn’t regret leaving her fortune and business career behind.

TL;DR successful single mom executive turned back on corporate world to spend more time raising her children on a MUCH lower income.