Every woman could use a wife of her own

[theatokos]

This article in today's NYT drives me nuts. While I do think that having kids, particularly infants, makes a woman have to work harder at getting things done, it is not insurmountable. The discussion of whether Palin is ready to be VP based on her having 5 kids, one of which has special needs and is an infant, drives me crazy. This discussion would never come up for a male candidate. Ever. I assume Sarah Palin has help. Either her husband or a nanny or a house keeper or some one is helping with family and home tasks. Men have help - their wives. But since Palin IS a wife, crap - who does she have to help? She should be taking care of everything! When does she find time to govern??

"...many women, citing their own difficulties with less demanding jobs, said it would be impossible for Ms. Palin to succeed both at motherhood and in the nation’s second-highest elected position at once."

But no one has ever said that about a male candidate have they? That because of the difficult task of raising a family and having a career it would be hard for a man to keep being a good father and do his job responsibly. Obama has two kids, we haven't heard this one yet, have we?

It IS hard having an infant. But we don't know if Palin is breast feeding. Probably not, is my guess, and that makes things easier for her. I'm sure Palin has help, because being a parent IS demanding work. But she's clearly getting it done, isn't she? Why would voters turn against her because they themselves can't imagine running a country? If the average mom had a house keeper and a nanny I bet she'd be able to get a lot more done.

This article is nonsense. The NYT loves to raise the "mommy wars," in fact they may have coined the term. And I hate it. It pits women against one another. I'm not sure the mommy wars even exist.

Comments

[snowcalla.livejournal.com]

I was FLOORED that this is even a topic. If it was a male running for VP, this topic wouldn't even have come up. Period.

This stuff makes me want to vomit.

[ewigweibliche.livejournal.com]

In many ways I love the NYT but they are sexist and classist as any institution in the US. They play this "mommy wars" crap all the time. It's just bullshit. Frankly, it's like they want to stoke the hope of division amongst women. I think most women get how hard it is to raise kids - even with a steady job, two parents and lots of support!

The sexism in these sorts of reports is irresponsible.

[(Anonymous)]

You already got to hear me on this one...ridiculous.

[honeyrider.livejournal.com]

i don't see why the NYT is sexist/classist for printing this article. have you been reading mommy blogs? on LJ alone i read post after post written my women "citing their own difficulties with less demanding jobs, [and saying that] it would be impossible for Ms. Palin to succeed both at motherhood and in the nation’s second-highest elected position at once."

the NYT is simply reporting on a hot topic.

that said, i completely agree that being a VP doesn't mean you'll be neglecting your children, and like you, i'm terribly irritated at this notion. there are pictures of palin babywearing her son at a meeting/press conference 3 days after he was born, and, apparently, she does breastfeed him. all this "she can't be a good mom if she's a VP" BS is being used to promote an agenda and even though i don't like palin in the least, this is lame lame lame.

[ewigweibliche.livejournal.com]

My issues with the NYT are that it does hype up a divide that doesn't need hyping. I myself am having problems keeping up with my part time job and the other things I do. But that's where being privileged to have help comes in. Perhaps I am not reading broadly enough to see that the Times is indeed reporting on something urgent, but having read their previous columns on "mommy wars" I'm holding out a lot of hope.

It would also make me sad if women voted against a mom just because they couldn't do it. That's like saying just because I can't run a marathon no woman can. I hope people will vote for or against Palin based on her policy.

[pwilk.livejournal.com]

> I hope people will vote for or against Palin based on her policy.

good point; I suppose whether or not she is a good mommy does not have anything to do with her ability to be a president. There are plenty of men in history that were great leaders and poor fathers.

[mz-seshet.livejournal.com]

Not the NYT, just on a talk show - but Obama did get this question too! Maybe its especially reserved for the *minority/women* candidates.

[msmidge.livejournal.com]

The NYT's mommy wars articles are really stupid. At the same time, if they are going to go this route with Sarah Palin, they at least need to explore the part about how she's supposed to somehow represent conservative Xn family values, which center on women's submission to men as heads of household, while she rejects that gender role for herself. I don't know if I think her rejection of it makes her a hypocrite or a hero, but that's the interesting thing rather than the "working moms can't do that!" whine.

[snowcalla.livejournal.com]

I'm commenting late...

HOLY FUCK! Sorry. Had to do that. I am shocked, SHOCKED, at how many females on my FL are spouting the whole...
"She's a bad mother"
"She should sit this out since she has young children/a baby/a special needs child/a dughter who is pregnant"
"Who's going to take care of the children? He husband? How wrong is that"

And these are women who label themselves
1.Democrat
2.Liberal
3.Progressive

*head smack*
*head smack*

I've known these people for years. I would never have thought they would think that. I'm ill. ILL I TELL YOU!

[ewigweibliche.livejournal.com]

Really?? *joining you in the head smack*

Well, I do live in my own little sheltered world, I guess.

Do they not think that she'll have help caring for all of her children?? It feeds into the nuclear family myth - that mommy, on her own, will make the house hold run and raise the kids just fine. I have an equal parenting partner in Adam and it's already hard as hell! And - Palin been a mayor and is governor while having a family and neither the state of Alaska or her family has imploded. Some might blame her daughter's pregnancy on her mom not being around more, and those that think that should come by my place so I can smack them. Her family seems to be doing just fine.

UGH.

[snowcalla.livejournal.com]

yeah....and that would be what I was talking about....the blurb that is going on in my blog now.

Seriously...WTF?