Yes, the two circumstances are different, HOWEVER, you seem to assume that the woman in the latter choice is a bad mother whose priorities are wrong. I think it is very challenging to be a working mother, BUT I see a lot of women out there who work and look after not only their children, but also their entire household, and they are excellent at it. Sending children to a trusted and high quality day care is not BAD. It does take a lot of commitment to find a good one and to make quality time for your children, but I have yet to meet a working woman of Pakistani descent who is a bad mother.
Also daycare is not the same as preschool; if a child is preschool age, s/he should be exposed to some structured time with other children that challenges and educates her/him.