Working moms a problem for Colbert

In class we discussed how first wave feminism brought women into the work place. Men were off fighting in World War II and women were needed to take their roles in the factories.

Women have been working outside the home ever since. Still, there are people who believe that a mother's sole job should be to care for her children.

Take Steven Colbert for instance. He recently announced that he was running for president in the state of South Carolina. His manifesto, I am America (and So Can You!), outlines much of his campaign platform. In it he discusses his view of working moms. He said on a recent episode of Meet the Press that a woman should spend every second of her time thinking of her children. He said in his book that working outside the home is as bad as bringing coconut arsenic brownies to the school bakesale.

While Colbert's book is probably as serious as his campaign, the fact that he would even think to write such a thing shows that those beliefs do still exist. His book reached number one on last week's New York Times Best Seller List. A facebook group titled 1,000,000 strong for Steven Colbert recently surpassed a 1,400,000 person membership.

I doubt that these people really believe that mothers working outside the home is equivalent to feeding children drug-laced desserts,but Colbert's writing could certainly reinforce the negative image of working moms.

Surely his writing is not to be taken literally. If it is, he has alienated a large part of the voting American public.