OAA Apologise for "Career Women Make Bad Mothers" Campaign

[OAA]

The OAA are running a campaign to demonstrate the power of outdoor advertising to drive people online. This is being done in conjunction with a new website called ?Britainthinks.com? which encourages debate amongst the people of Britain.

We regret any misunderstanding that led to feelings of offence on the part of members of the Mumsnet community.

The intention of the website is to generate debate by posing questions that are deemed to be socially relevant by members of society.

We did not intend to cause any offence and we would stress that the questions posed were not the opinions of the OAA or any of its members.

Three posters were designed to initiate the debate using sport, life and politics and these are supported by dozens of other questions on the website itself.

Regrettably the question relating to ?career women? has caused offence and the OAA unreservedly apologises to anyone who has been offended. This was not our intention and, to ensure that this misunderstanding does not persist, instructions have been given to remove this poster.

Subject to the vagaries of the weather, all copy will be removed as soon as possible. The sites currently carrying this poster will be either blanked-out or carry one of the other designs. The poster will also be removed from the ?Britainthinks.com? website. All Digital posters have already been removed.

Well done, mrsbaldwin Sat 09-Jan-10 21:32:35.

Great letter, totally supportive.

Hope the chenin blanc was good - you've earned it!

LadyBiscuit. Agree with all the way - except do I have to eat my purse? I'll just lick mine a little a little if that's ok?

Just to add my thoughts.

I'd like Women's Aid to be the charity of choice. They know that sexism kills women and they provide shelter for homeless women and children and help them put their lives back together.

The fact is that career women DO make bad mothers ... Have a look at the youth of today ... Both parents having to work to keep a household afloat is what has led to a generation of completely useless kids ... Its all very well wealthy brat mothers who can afford home help and nannies throwing a wobbler about this, but the fact is NO PARENT FAMILIES CAUSE CRETINOUS KIDS and if both parents are absent due to having to work society suffers

i think you'll find that it's pre-natal thyroid deficiency that causes cretinism, boyd, mmmmkay?

.... and please can you learn the distinction between 'opinion' and 'fact'?

[MrsBaldwin looks sideways, with interest, at Boyd]

You sound like Mumsnet might not be your normal chat forum Boyd. Looks like MN is now driving traffic from other parts of the internet

Not sure Boyds views are that unsual, even for MN (have seen quite a few posts on here supporting her views).

I agree with her.

Actually, Boyd, I can ses some common ground between what you said towards the end of your comment, and what the we've been saying to Beta and the OAA.

You said "if both parents are absent due to having to work society suffers". And I personally wouldn't disagree with your point of view that having two largely absent parents is unlikely to be good for children.

What I did disagree with was the Beta/OAA choice to attack the mothers for this issue, when it's a parenting issue affecting both parents rather than just the mothers.

Ooh limericks...

mrsbaldwin, great letter, am in full support of this being sent to beta.

I think it's great what you've done mrsbaldwin, I admire anyone who takes a stand and tries to improve lives, but what have you actually achieved..?

A piece of advertising has been removed, which imo wasn't that bad, "career women make bad mothers" .. some people will argue that they do...even women!....MN does not speak for the whole of womankind..

Plus, tomorrow moring, all these career women will still be getting out of bed at 6.30 to drop dc off at nursey (to be looked after by strangers)..they'll rush to work, spend all day probably being told what to do by a man...get home shattered, see the dc for 2 hours then collapse into bed....that's the reality for alot of working women.

Their dc must be missing out somewhere....

define career women, dp.

MN mods seem to be having a lie in BIWI - now's your chance

MrsB - I suggest you re-post yr letter for comment on a new thread - it's getting lost on this one!

And, if people really want to have the working mum v sahm debate, could you start a new thread for it? It's a case of 'been there, done that' for some of us. But if you feel the need...?

Aitch,

I would define a career woman as any women with a full-time job.

All women are equal in this, a woman working F/T at tescos on 15k a year is the same as the woman working for Saatchi & Saatchi on 50k...just some will be able to afford live in nannies etc.

so basically everyone who isn't a sahm is a bad mother? bullshit.

DP, this really is a debate for elsewhere Whether you agree or not, a huge proportion of mothers have to work. And they are offended by this ad.

A huge part of being a parent (of either sex) is providing a home, clothing, food, books, all of which cost money. Providing these things indubitibly make one a good parent. I am a marvellous parent. And while i have made compromises in my 'career' in order to accommodate my ds, I am bloody thankful I do have money from working to pay for all the specialist treatment he needs which he wouldn't get on the NHS. Would I have been a better mother to stay at home on benefits ensuring his future was flushed down the toilet? I don't think so, and I know you don't either.

daftpunk - I probably am what you would consider a 'career woman'. I earn a decent salary and spend a high proportion of it on a live in nanny and my husband stays at home looking after the kids too. So one DC per adult. A better ratio than most get.

I work for a company headed up by a man and a woman. I also own a company (and I happen to be a woman in case you didn't get that). When I was a SAHM (which I was for quite a while) was stroppy, bored and frustrated. Now I enjoy the time I spend with the urchins and actively do things with them rather than getting through day to day and looking forward to them growing up so I can have a life

Yes my children miss out on having me there all day - but they get a mummy who is not a total bitch all the time because she feels stymied by having to go to baby bounce . All power to those of you who choose to SAH and can do so. I can financially but don't want to. I think it's important to my children to know that at least one of their parents goes to work but don't believe I need a penis to represent the role of breadwinner! Are you therefore saying all lesbians are crap parents because a female party probably works

However you enjoy your assumed position of superiority. I am confident enough not to be upset by such declarations, but you are ill informed if you truly believe all kids who receive childcare are worse off than with their parents all the time.

Ok. Can we do the SAHM vs Working mum thinghere? And leave this thread free for Beta stuff. Ta, Jack

Since MN complained about sexism, can we keep even the slightest whiff of sexism out so "feminist men make better fathers" doesn't hit the spot for me!

Sexist advertising damages everyone. (Except those in the ad industry.) So let's leave any slogan there?

I know one person in the ad industry, and my impression (based on a sample of #1!) is that it is cut-throat competitive whilst also rewarding in its own ways. Consequently probably not the place I'd apply for a job with my values which include parent friendly. But if you are skilled at that sort of work, and that's all that's on your CV, I guess it's where you go back to after maternity leave.

So I'm with an earlier poster who suggested that the industry, starting with Beta (who haven't been formed that long), takes a critical audit look at sexism in all its guises within the advertising industry. Yeah, it'll cost a fair bit. But nothing to the fees that those guys earn. Which makes the £1k to charity look like......tell me someone (tell us Beta), how many minutes fees for a leading 'creative'?

If there are negative consequences of sexist practices in the advertising industry which are damaging to society in general, or to parents who work in the advertising industry in particular, I think the 21st century might be a good time to identify and deal with such issues?

Sorry not brief and Haiku, but a fully wound up rant worthy of speakers corner no less! The ad was meant to stimulate discussion after all. Oh no, I've fallen prey yet again to the admen.

Jack...you're right, it was inappropriate of me to post on this thread.

Apologies to everyone, especially to you mrsbaldwin.