Essence: Mitt Romney's Wife Can't Relate
Monday, April 16, 2012 at 9:47AM For the last four days, we’ve seen a high-profile reemergence of what’s commonly dubbed the “Mommy Wars” — that is, the seemingly never-ending battle between stay-at-home moms and working moms. The conflict emerged when political pundit and Democrat Hillary Rosen critiqued likely Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, who implied that he takes cues from his wife, a stay-at-home mother of five, about the concerns of women. “Guess what?” Rosen observed. “His wife has actually never worked a day in her life.”
All political hell broke loose, and President Obama and Michelle Obama were quick to distance themselves from the remarks, advocating that raising children is indeed work, hard and important work at that.
“There’s no tougher job than being a mom,” President Obama said. “Anybody who would argue otherwise, I think, probably needs to rethink their statement.”
I agree wholeheartedly. For decades working moms have referred to taking care of their families as the “second shift,” a shorthand term for the extra month of 24-hour days they spend child-rearing and home care-taking each year. Surely, full-time moms put in even more unpaid (and often unrecognized) hours.
Raising a family is unquestionably a job. But I find it curious that a presidential nominee would take his cues about what America’s women are thinking from his wife, whose 1 percenter lifestyle — in 2010 Romney earned $21.7 million — is not relatable to the vast majority of them. In that same year, the median income for American households was $44,449, according to the Census Bureau. For Black households, it was $32,068.
Additionally, data collected by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics found 66 percent of women with children ages 17 or younger work either full or part-time. Among those working mothers, 74 percent work full-time, while 26 percent work part-time.
True, Rosen’s words weren’t well-phrased. But this is an election year, and every comment is scrutinized more than usual by candidates looking to gain an advantage with voters. I believe Rosen’s intention, to point out that Romney needs better source material than his wife to figure out what the average American mom is thinking, is entirely accurate.
Reader Comments (2)
Most Mother's in America don't have the choice, or her lifestyle. Especially, black women. I don't feel comfortable with her being an example representing Mother's across America. Not saying she's a bad woman, I just don't think she would really be able to relate.
Most Mother's in America don't have the choice, or her lifestyle. Especially, black women. I don't feel comfortable with her being an example representing Mother's across America. Not saying she's a bad woman, I just don't think she would really be able to relate.
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