An Australian columnist is taking some heat for a recent op-ed in which she said “it should be illegal to be a stay-at-home mum.”
While Sarrah Le Marquand, editor-in-chief of Stellar magazine, affirmed her belief that parenting is important and that both parents should certainly have the ability to spend more time with their babies during their early life, she pushed back against some of the sentiments and issues she believes surround stay-at-home motherhood.
“Rather than wail about the supposed liberation in a woman’s right to choose to shun paid employment, we should make it a legal requirement that all parents of children of school-age or older are gainfully employed,” La Marquand wrote for the Daily Telegram.
Columnist says it should be illegal to be a stay-at-home mom. @carolmswain and @AreuCathy debate pic.twitter.com/thcPr1Olcu
— FOX & friends (@foxandfriends) March 24, 2017
She continued, “Only when the female half of the population is expected to hold down a job and earn money to pay the bills in the same way that men are routinely expected to do will we see things change for the better for either gender.”
Le Marquand also argued that a “balanced modern workplace” can’t truly be discussed until both parents are engaging in paid employment and are, thus, “sharing the stress of the work-home juggle.”
In the end, the columnist pushed back against the notion that “feminism is about choice,” calling it an “unfounded” claim. Instead, La Marquand said the concept is really about pushing back against stereotypes. Read her piece in its entirety here.
Feminism sure sounds a lot like oppression these days.👉🏻Feminist Wants To Criminalize Stay-at-Home Moms https://t.co/sT3YF0SwVx
— Ari David (@AriDavidUSA) March 23, 2017
https://twitter.com/Uselessrant/status/845279906355298304
The op-ed comes after a report from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development found that there’s reportedly been a dire impact on Australia’s economy due to women not being present enough in the workforce. In essence, many women choose to work part-time or stay home with their kids, Bloomberg reported.
“Australia’s relatively high childcare costs are one important factor contributing to the high ‘not in employment, education or training’ rates among young mothers with young children,” the OECD said. “There are potentially large losses to the economy when women stay at home or work short part-time hours.”
A separate study recently found that a stay-at-home mom would essentially — based on her time and work with her family — be worth an annual salary of $143,102 per year.
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