What did Obama say in Rhode Island that made so many angry? Well after listening
to his speech and reading the transcript to make sure I didn’t miss something,
I am at a loss. Many of the women that I
personally know who seem to be taking issue with this speech are linking an
article by Mollie Hemingway, Senior Editor of the Federalist which can be found at the following link:
Here is a link to the President's speech transcript and video This is the transcript which I followed along
with while watching the actual speech.
The transcript writer did a tremendous job
The transcript:
The video:
I am specifically going to address some arguments about this
particular speech made by a journalist “Mollie Hemingway” and published on the website ‘The Federalist”. I will use another post to discuss Federalism
and the history of the movement that lends that publication its name, but for
this post, I am going to focus on three points that Ms. Hemingway outlined in
her extremely eloquent post.
She referred in particular to a comment the President made during his speech, when he stated “Sometimes, someone, usually Mom, leaves the workplace to
stay home with the kids, which then leaves her earning a lower wage for the
rest of her life as a result,” he said.
“That’s not a choice we want Americans to make.”
Somehow, she managed to paint this statement as the
President stating that we don’t want American women to choose to be stay at
home mothers or that choice is somehow a negative one. She soon states that she
knows that isn’t what he meant but spends the remainder of her article
referring to it as if it was what he meant. At no time during
the 26 minutes he was at the podium did he say anything to allude to or
directly address being anything but supportive of stay at home mothers.
His speech deals specifically with equal pay for equal
work. Maybe he should have spent more
time speaking of stay at home parents, but he may be saving it for another
speech…on that topic. This speech was
specifically about the challenges that parents (specifically mothers) face when
working outside the home. And in his
only mention of those who choose to leave the paid workforce to care for their
families, he was referring to those who do so for a short time, and then return to
their careers or professions to find they face a penalty for having done so.
Ms Hemingway then launched into three reasons why President Obama
is wrong about stay at home mothers.
Frankly, if you listened to his speech, or read the transcript, which I
have linked for you above, there is a good reason why you might be confused about why
this article by Ms. Hemingway was written at all. Even so, I feel the need to
address her comments since I’ve seen links to her article from several
friends on my Facebook feed.
Her first point was that the idea that women shouldn’t be
penalized for taking time off of work to care for children is stated as “It
exists in a fantasy realm.”
I must say that in principle, I agree with her to a
degree. If you look at how businesses in
the US place such stock in ‘attendance’ and having workplaces to go to, then
her point does make some sense that time away from work doesn't hold as much value to American businesses as does continuous employment. But more
and more companies realize that in this post-industrial economy in which we
live and work, jobs can be more flexible.
The boundaries between home and work are relatively amorphous, or can be
(I wonder if she wrote that article in the Federalist at a desk in her office,
or while working from home as more and more companies are allowing workers to
do.) By making how we conduct business
more conducive to family life, more women can ‘choose’ to remain active in
their career, while spending valuable time with their families.
Her 2nd ‘reason’ why President Obama got it wrong
is entitled ‘Too Much Focus on Market-Based Metrics of Success”.
Well, yes, President Obama did focus on equal pay for equal
work being a measure of success. And
that those parents who take time out of the paid workforce to care for families
will earn less upon their return. To me
this isn’t a market-based metric of success…in today’s economy; it is a
market-based metric of survival. I
believe most parents, even those who work with a market-based metric of success
in mind, see their children as Hays (1996) described who “exist outside of
market valuation, and are sacred, innocent and pure, their price immeasurable.” Most parents I have spoken with report
feeling this way about their children, whether they acknowledge that ‘income’
is necessary for helping them parent…or not.
Any discussion about fair wages for women, even those returning to a
career after a time away to take care of their family, shouldn’t be reduced to
an argument about whether or not they can be successful in the business world
as well as being successful as a parent (which is not a market-based assessment
at all).
His speech wasn’t addressing the good or bad parenting, it
wasn’t a foray into the “Mommy Wars” that still seem to be an issue in this day
and time. What happened to celebrating
choice? And it just so happened that
most of this speech of President Obama’s was focusing on making the workplace
as equitable and parent friendly as possible for those who choose (either out
of necessity or desire) to work.
According to the Gallop organization in 2012, 37% percent of
American women with at least one child under the age of 18 living in their home
aren’t formally employed (14% of all women) and those numbers decrease as a
woman’s socioeconomic status and educational level increase. The majority of women with children in their
home ARE formally employed and his speech was addressing issues that those
parents face. Again, maybe in the future
the president will give a speech about the other 37% of mothers who aren’t
formally employed.
Her 3rd point related to daycare, which was the
topic of the early part of his speech. “Daycare
vs. Subsidized Daycare vs. Time spent with parents.”
Ms. Hemingway
states “But I reject out of hand the idea that parents staying home with their children
— a choice that by definition means a change in labor force participation —
should be viewed as a negative choice.” As I read and reread, and then listened to
President Obama’s speech again, I was literally stymied as how she could take
his comments about childcare, making it affordable and accessible for those who
need it, and somehow see that as making a negative judgment about those who
stay home with their children rather than placing them in centers while they work.
At best, Ms. Hemingway and those other outraged women may
have seen the one comment and decided at that point that everything in that
speech was an indictment against parents who choose to leave the paid workforce
to care for their families. But frankly,
if you actually listen to the speech, or read the transcript, you will see that
the focus of it was making things more equitable in the workplace for those who
either choose paid work while raising children, or who choose to return to paid
work after taking time off. Other than
those, this speech wasn’t about stay at home parents at all.
Works cited:
Hays, Sharon. 1996. The Cultural Contradictions of Motherhood. New Haven; Yale University Press.
This is what happens when people take something out of context and blow it up. Thanks for clarifying it so eloquently!
ReplyDeleteWow, after reading over the transcript I can honestly say that people were just looking to argue. As usual you cannot please everyone. like you mentioned above, he was simply touching on "equal pay for equal work" It seems his point to get across was not that staying home with your children is negative he stated obvious and I don't think he was even trying to put a negative under tone on that. Ms. Hemingway and those other outraged women were just looking for something to argue, maybe they feel un-fullfilled so they have to make something out of nothing and turn a genuanlly well displayed speach into something bad. This sort of behavior gives me a headache, I think these women just wanted to speak out from their own possible life choices but in no way did that speach come across as lessoning the value of women or stay at home mothers, or course if Obama was trying to Specifically appeal to these women he could have worded things slightly different or spent more time talking enthusasticly of that specefic situation; but all in all this was just another case of misenturpretation due to perception based gender roles.
ReplyDeleteMs. Hemingway is a perfect example of why gender stereotypes still exist. I, personally, do not care for our president. His speech was awesome. I am actually impressed. No where in his speech did he put down stay at home moms. Instead, he wants to make the workplace a better place for women so that they have more options. He wants to make change and implement new policies so that women are treated equally alongside men. Equal work for equal pay and paid maternity leave. How can his speech be so misinterpreted? The one thing I have to point out that is off topic though is was anyone else thinking why did he make a speech on Halloween? Anyways, president Obama wants us to speak up and change outdated policies. He has brought this huge issue some attention, so now let's see some action. I think Ms. Hemingway needs to reevaluate his speech though and not take things out of context or be so dramatic about it.
ReplyDeleteher*
ReplyDeleteWow I am glad I read this. I think Hemingway heard stay at home Mom and instantly felt defensive. So many times you feel shamed for having that title and you shouldn't. I am a stay at home Mom and it is a privilege. President Obama said nothing that should offend Mothers. I read his speech and was going " YES" he gets it. He recognizes just how much woman and mothers have to overcome and he was offering up a solution. Woman do deserve equal pay and we also deserve affordable childcare. He kept referencing his own mother and wife as strong female role models. If anything his speech put woman on a pedestal and recognized the amount of strength they have. Well done Mr. President!
ReplyDeleteTina Reiter
I feel that the president had a good speech about stay at home moms.I feel he was trying to say mothers should have the choice to have quality and affordable daycare if they chose.Some families are struggling to pay for necessities such as heat and food because daycare bills absorb most of the family income.The government child care subsidy program hasn’t been updated in almost a decade.The more money parents make, the less the province pays.Some cases,the parental contribution is more than low income families can afford.I just think that it should be a mothers choice to stay home or work.I feel we need quality affordable daycare for everyone.
ReplyDeleteDedria Graham
I'll admit, I don't understand all the workings of this, but it seems to me that Ms. Hemingway went off on a tangent from the original speech. Personally, I'm not a big President Obama fan, but it's hard to find a link between his speech, an Ms. Hemingway's outburst. At best, her musings are a long and twisted path of mental connections that can somehow be traced back to the speech if one follows her train of thought. At worst, it's just her railing at something that she perceived as an offence where no offence was intended. Not very deep, I know, but that's what I got out of it.
ReplyDeleteI had absolutely loved President Obama's speech on mothers stayin home or having the choice to work freely. Childcare is an important factor on whether a woman is able to work or not. That is where the subsdized childcare comes into place and help the mothers pay for quality childcare. Ms. Hemingway's rant on the Presiden'ts speech was a little insensitive and off topic if I had to say so myself. She basically was trying to put stipulations on women in the workplace. -Tarea Price
ReplyDeleteI don't think that President Obama got it wrong at all. He clearly has a lot of credibility because of how he is raising his two daughters. I think President Obama is encouraging parents to consider what he has done and that is have a choice. My wife and I also made a choice for my wife to be a stay-at-home mom. Being in the Army created a different environment for our family because of being away from home so much and they were also living away from home. As our daughters grew older, my wife was able to have more choices for herself like attending school or working part-time. So, I like what President Obama said. He is only giving us insight into how his family works. - Garry McClendon
ReplyDeleteI thought the Presidents speech was awesome and I really cant see how Ms. Hemingway could say that the president meant something in his speech. I think maybe she just took the speech as what she wanted it to be instead for what it was. the president said all positive things that I'm pretty sure millions of women across the world loved what he said because I did. To me I think he won millions of hearts with that speech.
ReplyDeleteHoly crap. Third attempt to post a stinkin' comment. So now, here's the even shorter cliffnotes:
ReplyDeleteHemingway is entitled and judgmental. Claims to support parental choice, yet takes not-so-subtle digs at those who use daycare. I wonder if she could afford to stay home if her husband made only 77 cents for every dollar other workers made.
Also, the verbiage of her article makes me think she wears aluminum headgear and truly believes Obama is invading Texas.
I think the speech was great. I think if anything he is trying to let certain things be known. Mothers are going to do what they feel is right. If that means leaving the work force to be with there newborn baby then that is just what she has to do. If that means going back to work making less then so be it, Its not fair at all but I think Obama is trying to let the situation be known and that hopefully it can be fixed.
ReplyDeleteThe speech it self was wonderful, I love any speech that Obama gives, after all he is a great speaker. I feel that the message he was trying to spread was a great one. There are many who struggle to make ends meet. Many cannot go through school, either they cant afford it, their work schedule permits, or they cannot afford childcare. Daycare costs today are ridiculous. There should be affordable childcare for those that want to better themselves. No mother should have to stay home simply because of failure to afford childcare.
ReplyDelete