Ann Romney and Hilary Rosen Spar Over Women's Work
Ann Romney, wife of presidential candidate Mitt Romney, has used her Twitter account to respond to the claim that she "has never worked a day in her life." Her defense brings light to the debate about whether women who remain home with their families are actually "working."
Yesterday the Democrat National Committee's strategist, Hilary Rosen, told CNN's Anderson Cooper that Romney "has actually never worked a day in her life." While it is true that Romney has never held an official full-time position outside of the home, she has spent her entire life taking care of her family.
"I made a choice to stay home and raise five boys. Believe me, it was hard work," Romney tweeted in response.
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"All moms are entitled to choose their path," she added.
The problem, however, comes, as many women feel disconnected from Romney due to her financial circumstances, which allowed her to have additional help in raising her children.
"Many moms have to work in order to support their children. Face it - money gives you more choices!" added Joe Neely, Jr.
Rosen has written a piece for the Huffington Post explaining why she stated that Romney had not worked. "What is more important to me and 57 percent of current women voters is her husband [Mitt] saying he supports women's economic issues because they are the only issues that matter to us, and then he fails on even those."
While it is true that Romney told newspaper editors that his wife "reports to me regularly that the issue women care about most is the economy," Rosen has lit a firestorm of backlash for her approach to his comments.
The divide between women who stay at home and raise their families and those who hold a position outside the home is an age-old divide. Yet Rosen has tweeted, "I am raising children, too. But most young American women HAVE to BOTH earn a living AND raise children."
Now that divide is breaking down barriers between Democrats and Republicans. "I could not disagree with Hilary Rosen any more strongly," Obama campaign manager Jim Messina tweeted. "Her comments were wrong and family should be off limits. She should apologize."
Obama campaign strategist David Axelrod added in a tweet, "Disappointed in Hilary Rosen's comments about Ann Romney. They were inappropriate and offensive."
Romney has raised her children while battling Multiple Sclerosis and non-invasive breast cancer.
"Regardless of political views, being a mother is the hardest job in the world. Don't go there," tweeted ElleSophiaD.
It's clear that this divide between women who stay at home and those who leave the home is far from being resolved. What's not clear is whether Rosen's comments will actually help the Romney campaign by drawing in a sympathetic female vote.
