Having worked in various industries over several score years I have come to the conclusion that "you never can tell." I have hired women who stated from day one either:
- They were only going to work a few years and then quit to have kids.
- They were never going have kids, they wanted a career.
Guess what - they all changed their minds! Some never the kids they thought they wanted, and some had the kids they never wanted. As a manager I pay attention to neither the crystal ball nor the Magic 8 ball.
Do what you want to do when you want to do it. Take care of the future when it gets here. If your boss expects you to predict the future, ask him how come he isn't filthy rich from playing the stock market with that keen vision of "things to come."
As for dealing with chauvinistic pigs like me, an occasional "up yours" (or stronger) slaps us back to earth.