Stop the Charade: Being a Mom Isn't 'Toughest Job'

It's a PC thing to say, but it's not true, say two female columnists
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 19, 2012 1:51 PM CDT
Updated Apr 22, 2012 11:37 AM CDT
Stop the Charade: Being a Mom Isn't 'Toughest Job'
Ann Romney, wife of Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, speaks with ABC newswoman Diane Sawyer at Fenway Park baseball stadium in Boston, Monday, April 16, 2012.   (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

When Hilary Rosen dropped her never-worked-a-day bomb on Ann Romney, Democrats immediately sensed the political danger and backed away. President Obama himself weighed in: "There is no tougher job than being a mom," he declared. Oh, really? wonder Meghan Daum in the Los Angeles Times and Vivia Chen at the Careerist blog. Both take pains to acknowledge that parenting is, of course, difficult, but Obama's commonly spoken view strikes them as a little patronizing.

  • Chen: "Isn't being the leader of the free world just a tad tougher?" she asks. Rosen should have specified that Romney never held a paying job. "And therein lies the distinction that politically correct people (on the left and right) dodge when it comes to women's work: Working for a paycheck is different. And doing so while juggling home and work demands ... adds another layer of complexity to the equation." It's reasonable, then, to question whether Romney can relate. Full column.
  • Daum: "Might we possibly consider retiring that idea?" she asks, referring to Obama's comment. "Off the top of my head I can think of several other jobs that are tougher than being a mom. For instance, president of the United States. Or coal miner. Or teacher in an underfunded urban public school. Or Amish farmer." Click for the full column, whose larger point is about Americans' obsession with work.
(More Ann Romney stories.)

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