Ladies of ASU, how many of you are out there studying hard for your MRS degree? Our guess would be very few.
The patriarchal social construct the pop culture icons of the ‘50s presented is no longer the majority of American families. Women are going to college, getting degrees and spending most of their lives in their professional field.
That doesn’t mean the idea of a “stay-at-home mom” has vanished.
Many women, and some men these days, hope to see themselves as a stay-at-home parent once they have children. So if that’s the case, why is Mitt Romney’s wife, Ann, being criticized for her decision to remain the homemaker?
Ann Romney has raised a stable family, and her home life has allowed her to raise all of her children. She is one of many women in a fortunate enough situation to do this. Why? Because Mitt’s reported income in 2011 was $20.9 million, according to The Huffington Post.
Every family's situation is different. At a university of 70,000-plus students, ASU should understand this better than anyone. Our mash-up of international, out-of-state and in-state students from every tax bracket and domestic lifestyle make us no candidate to judge the Romney family (in this field at least). This logic can be applied to America as a whole.
Each day families are faced with the decision of how they will raise their family and make ends meet. Will both parents work? Is only one income enough to provide their desired standard of living? It’s understood that some of us, including some students here at ASU, are able to cover the price of an education without taking out loans or maintaining several jobs, but money is a personal issue and shouldn’t be the determining factor for how well someone can do their job.
Ann Romney is lucky. Her sons are lucky. Their mom got to be part of their lives when they were growing up, but what bearing does this have on Mitt’s ability to run the country? Michelle and Barack met in 1989 at the law firm Sidley & Austin when Michelle was an attorney and Barack came to be a summer associate. They both continued to be employed, and the American public elected both. At this logic, Mitt isn’t fit to be president simply because Ann didn’t work after marriage.
Yes, there are many women who have to work in order to give their children the best opportunities, but comparing the different living situations has no place in a political campaign.
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