LETTER: Issue not black and white

To the editor:

I was thrilled to see that on Monday (April 2) the gender barrier was broken. A columnist answered a question that thousands of people have been researching for thousands of years. He wrote that “the selfless act of motherhood is something to be held in high esteem”-this is what separates the gentler sex. I agree with this statement. What I do not agree with are the emotional, ill founded, and illogical generalizations he made against women having careers. This piece used blanket statements that were not only inflammatory, but at times downright false.

There are situations where a woman must have a job to support her family. Your columnist knew from “personal experience” that women with careers are selfish. I know from “personal experience” of families where the husband could not or would not work outside the home. In these situations, the wife worked outside the home so her children would have food and clothing. Is this selfish? By your definition it is.

Or take another example into account. I know a woman who is a math professor at an in-state college. She teaches an average of two classes a semester and is out of her home less than ten hours a week. Her husband is currently pursuing a master’s degree and is not able to hold a job and keep up with his studies. She works to supplement the savings her family is currently living on. Is this a display of a selfish mother? By your definition it is.

You brought up how women used to work where they were needed. Women are needed in the workplace. The United States Department of Labor: Women’s Bureau estimated that in 2005 women made up 46 percent of the total U.S. labor force (www.dol.gov/wb/stats/main.htm). Can you imagine the severely debilitating effect on our economy if all of these women stayed at home as you suggested?

While there are selfish mothers in the workplace, these two ideas are not synonymous. Men and women from all walks of life in all situations are selfish. I don’t believe selfishness is something that is dictated by gender or employment status.

Stephanie Dawson