shlishi — Absolutely children are “inevitably hurt when their mother is not home for them full-time.” But they are also “inevitably hurt” if the stress levels are through the roof and there are Shalom Bayis issue due to being unable to pay the bills. Every couple must make a chesbon as to which scenario is the most beneficial, and there are no simple answers.
Additionally, many people may feel that although there obviously are drawbacks to a mother working, there may be other benefits for the kids that make it worth it. My husband and I made a conscious decision that the advantages my kids would receive by living in a home where my husband was zoche to learn Torah full time would be more than the disadvantages of being with a babysitter for many hours a day as babies. Had I not been able to find a frum caring babysitter who I was comfortable with, or had my job required me to not be home when my older kids got home from school, would I have made that same decision? Possibly not. The point is there are many factors in the decision for a woman to go to work.