As Democrats make women’s issues the center of many statewide races around the country and allege Republicans want to take away their personal freedoms, conservative icon Phyllis Schlafly says President Obama is the one truly guilty of waging a ‘war on women’ for suggesting mothers who stay at home to raise their kids are making a choice the government does not approve.
She also says this attitude from the political left is nothing new, but despite decades of demeaning stay-at-home moms, she says more and more women see the value in leaving the workforce for a time to invest in their kids.
Schlafly’s comments are latest in the firestorm of criticism following Obama’s remarks Friday in Rhode Island. While stumping for the Democratic candidate for governor, Obama lobbied for higher quality day care options at lower prices but clearly left the suggestion that placing kids in day care is preferable to moms or dads staying home to raise them while the other spouse works outside the home.
“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. And that’s not a choice we want Americans to make,” Obama told the crowd.
After years of Democrats accusing Republicans of holding women back, Schlafly says it’s the Democrats who are once again showing their true, hostile colors to moms.
“It’s absolutely ridiculous to say that Republicans are waging a war on women. Obama’s speech in Rhode Island shows that he’s the one starting a war on women,” said Schlafly, the founder and president of Eagle Forum best known for leading the grassroots effort to defeat the Equal Rights Amendment in the 1970s and 80s.
“Who gave Obama the right to decide what career choice women will be allowed to make. What kind of country do we live in. We assume he’s speaking for the administration and the evidence is abundant that he meant exactly what he said. He does not want women to have the choice to take care of their own children or got take a job and put their kids in day care,” she said.
As infuriating as Obama’s comments are to Schlafly, she says he’s not saying anything the feminist movement hasn’t been pushing for generations.
“He wants to deprive women of the choice of taking care of their own children. He’s not the first one to say that. That is straight down the line feminist ideology. In fact, it was first said by that big mama of women’s lib, Simone de Beauvoir, who taught all the college courses as a founder of feminism. [She] said, ‘No woman should be authorized to stay at home to raise their children, precisely because if there is such a choice, too many women will make that one and we don’t believe any women should have that choice,'” said Schlafly.
Schlafly said the attitude of the feminist movement toward moms who stay at home to raise their kids is one of disgust and disdain.
“[De Beauvoir] thinks any woman who stays at home with her kids is a parasite and we’ve got to get her out in the workforce, so she can pay taxes and the government can take care of her kids,” said Schlafly.
“The feminists have always wanted to have all kids in day care. They tell women that taking care of small children is belittling and not worthy of the time and talent of an educated woman. [Obama] has completely adopted the feminist line,” said Schlafly, asserting that feminists and other liberals are always in favor of growing government and making people dependent upon it and subsidized day care and universal pre-kindergarten are current examples of that.
According to Schlafly, feminists are failing in their efforts to convince women that rearing children full-time is a waste of their time.
“The number of women who are wanting to stay home, at least when their kids are young, is increasing. The percentage is getting bigger. This must befuddle the feminists quite a bit,” she said.
In addition, Schlafly asserts that scholars are observing a rise in hypergamy, which is the practice of intentionally marrying someone who makes enough money to provide for the family so one spouse (usually the wife) can stay home with the children.
She says other studies prove the long-term value of a parent staying at home to raise and educate their children.
“We’ve spent all this money on public schools. They’ve been saying for years that the reason for the gap between the high-achieving and the low-achieving kids is poverty. Now, the new information is gap is whether they have a mother and father or not. That’s what makes the difference between the high-achieving and the low-achieving kids,” said Schlafly.
Not surprisingly, Schlafly is hopeful that conservatives will score major victories in elections across the country on Tuesday, particularly in the Republican Party’s quest to control the U.S. Senate. She says GOP control is critical for one reason above all the others.
“This election is going to decide who controls the Supreme Court. There’ll be some upcoming appointments and we don’t want Obama to have any more. He’s already packed the court as well as he can. We don’t want him having any more appointments to the Supreme Court,” said Schlafly.