Fueled by controversy, Erickson’s statement suggesting that “feminists believe that men and women have interchangeable roles in today’s society, and that’s not good for society” stirred up Americans. The reactions were immediate, starting with Megyn Kelly, the journalist interviewing Erickson on the America Live program. Holding a stack of papers, Kelly passionately challenged him, stating that there were plenty of data contradicting his claim. “The fact that there are people who defend what you’re saying doesn’t make it any less hurtful,” added the presenter.
The Changing Landscape of Gender Roles
The interview was spurred by the Breadwinnes Moms report from the Pew Research Center. According to the study, in 40% of households with children in Houston, Texas, the woman is the primary breadwinner. This figure is four times higher than it was 50 years ago when the family relied on the man’s income, leaving the woman marginalized. Whether backward or not, Erickson achieved what he wanted. He got Kelly fired up and pitted hundreds of thousands of followers against each other on Twitter.
A Controversial Statement Ignites Debate
“When even a woman from Fox calls you a sack of garbage for believing that women should stay at home, it means something,” Jared Ning tweeted. “Megyn Kelly is our hero for taking down her sexist colleagues at Fox,” added the Huffington Post. The same movement shook Erickson’s blog when he published a post reaffirming what he had said on television. “Stop talking nonsense, your rhetoric can sink you,” and “Please suspend my account and get me out of here” were some of the comments he received in opposition.
“Currently, working women make up almost half of the United States workforce. Their level of education has also dramatically increased. Today, in more than 20% of couples with children, the woman is better educated than her husband, while the inverse proportion is 17%,” explains Wendy Wang, one of the two researchers behind the study, of which 63% of respondents are single mothers. In Erickson’s eyes, these women are not capable of taking responsibility for their children in the same way as a non-working mother. Wang, on the other hand, believes that the rise of working women has a greater impact on relationships than the economy and that work-life balance is their new challenge.
Different Perspectives
While this report highlights concerns among Americans regarding the impact of this trend on children’s education, in Spain, the predisposition is to think otherwise. Sociologist Inés Alberdi dismisses Erickson’s claim as nonsense. “The superiority of men and the influence of working women on families has not been defended in our country since the 1970s. Back then, when mothers started working, it was believed to affect children negatively. Now we think it benefits them because it helps them socialize,” explains Alberdi.
In Spain, 80% of single-parent households are headed by women, and it is socially accepted. In areas where this occurs more frequently, such as Madrid, there are more job opportunities for women. “Talking about biology is a trap because humans, together, have achieved more than any other animal group. If a woman working is unnatural, then so is aspirin, which prevents us from getting sick and dying, and therefore goes against the inherent nature of human beings,” adds the sociologist.
The Impact on Children’s Education
The difference in job opportunities and economic situations between single and married mothers is evident and can affect children’s education. Due to the existing gender pay gap, the study indicates that the children of working single mothers are at a lower level of economic security compared to those of married women. “In the United States, the median income of couples with children, where the woman is the primary breadwinner, exceeded $80,000 in 2011. In families with single mothers, this amount plummeted to $23,000,” Wang adds.
Alberdi acknowledges that the United States has made great strides in terms of equality, but family burdens still fall more on women. So, daily obstacles continue to present themselves to women who, according to Erickson, should not only accept but also be grateful for their “inferiority” to men based on tradition.