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.

"Sexist advertising is bad for us all"

But particularly bad for sexist advertising agencies.

Sorry but I thought the outdoor billboards were worthwhile. I thought 'finally there is a campaign to support mums like me - struggling to stay at home'. Sadly not. Traditional motherhood is officially dead. I understand that the means to raise debate was obviously hugely offensive to many many hardworking mums - and I don't agree with the ad slogan - but there must be other mums like me who have sacrificed a career to stay at home and raise our children - at great personal financial cost - who feel under regular pressure from working mums to lie about our decision to stay home for fear of offending their decision to go back to work. There is little or no support - financial or moral - forums included - for women who stay at home and do the job we were born to do - nuture their children. This is something that ought to be addressed and if this ad is the catalyst then I can only applaud it. May the abuse commence.

SuzyB I don't think there is lack of support towards SAHMs here at all

I have never really experienced it IRL either - I don't generally think twice about what other women do with their time

Suzyb are you new? If yes, welcome to Mumsnet.

Imagine how you might have felt had you not been able to afford to stay at home and take care of your child/ren?

Hi Swedington - I am new. Thanks. In answer to your question - I would have thought 'finally - a campaign that might HELP ME to stay at home and raise my children!' I understand that the statement used was grossly insensitive but I still think it presents the opportunity to think about what more could be done - certainly financially - to HELP people not go back to work if they don't want to.

I suggest that you have a good look around MN before you make the statement that there is no support via forums for women like you!

You'll find lots of people here who have made the same decision as you.

That's not to say there isn't debate about the 'rights' and 'wrongs' of peoples' choices - but then it wouldn't be Mumsnet without that kind of debate. Oh, and be warned, it gets pretty robust sometimes.

Welcome!

But it didn't support stay-at-home mums at all. It just appeared to be knocking mothers with careers - wholly negative.

A campaign that actually supported choices would have been an entirely different matter.

That's ok. I can handle robust. And I'm delighted to hear there is support for the SAHM. If there is already a counterbalance on this site to the campaign to tear down the ads then I apologise. I'm just saying - can we also think about the questions that the ads raised - whether we like them or not. There are always two sides to a story. I worry that women have become slaves to the GDP and have been duped into thinking this is independence. In the fight for the right to work we have all but lost our right to stay at home - this is evident in the very large number of women who say they are financially UNABLE to stay at home but are very quick to say they would if they could...

Honestly suzybmum, there are many many many threads on here debating this subject - just do a search on wohm or sahm. And yet in all the thousands of very heated posts on both sides, I don't think anyone ever managed to come up with a sentiment quite so crass as "career women make bad mothers". It's quite an achievement.

Suzy, having been both a SAHM and WOHM, I recognise that the world we live in today disadvanted both. As you point out, our current and historical climate does not serve either camp.

Rather than starting a debate based on an outdate polemic (ie, working mums are crap) it is much more to the point to discuss ways in which we can have both economic stability and prosperity without penalising either camp.

Women have always worked outside the home, the be able to stay in the home and care for our children has sadly always been a luxury, and especially in todays economic climate.

That is not to say that working outside the home disadvantages our children, that is an argument which denigrates all mothers.

And again, where do fathers feature in this?

That is the debate as it stands.

Welcome!

I mean to say, disadvantages both!

But I agree with other posters, this is not the thread to discuss it. I am sure you do not think working mums are bad mothers.

And it is that statement which is being protested against here.

I'll have a good look around later - I'm mid teatime/bathtime juggle right now. As I said - I'm new to the site as I was pulled in by media coverage of the campaign to pull down the advertising hoardings. Sad to think that women's decisions have to be pitted against each other as 'taking sides' though. I'd like to see support for all women to make the right decision for them.

Thanks all. The irony - I have burned the kids dinner in the process of posting here! I may have to start a new thread entitled: blogging women make bad mothers!! Lol. Have a good evening all.

Well I'm fed up of the pigeonholes -
So we have the thrusting career woman who ignores her need to nurture for advancement and money..

And we have the sahm who sacrifices her need for advancement and money in order to nurture...

And then we have me - who works and advances and nurtures as well. I've been a sahm and now I'm a wohm. i don't care what any one else does but I do start to care when I'm put in a box as above - like everybody starts to care then.

Suzy - 'traditional motherhood' is a myth and it isn't just finances that compel women to work. I would have been outraged had Beta picked 'sahms are stupid' as a headline because it's blatently false and offensive. I wouldn't 'welcome a debate'. Why can't you afford working mums the same courtesy?

Hahah Suzy stay around here long enough and soon you'll just be sending them into the fridge to forage for their own dinner...

Agree that the problem with the slogan is that it focuses on WOMEN

I like the new slogan - much preferable

SAHM v Working mum debate for Suzyb

I'm managing to be offensive without even trying ...

tsk, tsk, Jackstarbright!

Thanks, but i'm not interested about getting into a bun fight and takin sides Jackstarbright. I would like to see more incentives for women to stay at home - like diverting government hand outs for childcare direct to mums so they can choose whether or not to take it up.

But making statements like that is taking sides ...!

And I don't want to get into an argument on this thread either. Just wanted to say well done for burning the dinner. Sounds like you'll fit in well here!

Well feel totally free to start your own thread Suzy. And btw I served (slightly) burnt stir fry to my dc's thanks to my efforts to provide you that link.