My mom married my dad at 21 and was a stay at home mother right up until their divorce at age 49. She was in and out of school for their entire marriage and now has 4 degrees. But every time she is asked about the time gap between jobs, and explains she was a stay at home mom, suddenly the 4 degrees are “outdated” and she would need to go back to school. She already has so much student loan debt and she can't even find a job in her field that will pay her what a person half her age would be getting paid with the same education. How is she supposed to retire? My dad is an engineer and it was enough to support all 4 of us, now my mom can't even find a job in medicine that will support her alone. She can't even declare bankruptcy because her credit score would be so fucked she wouldn't be able to rent an apartment. My mother is a good person, and she put up with constant abuse for nearly 30 years to raise me and my brother. And now this fucking system won't even let her be happy now that she's out of a loveless marriage. I can't afford to help her, I can't even support myself with what I make. I don't know how to end this, I'm just so fucking sad.