“Mom in Chief” is a Choice

Years ago, as a young graduate student, I decided to write my master’s thesis on women, their attitudes toward birth control, and the interrelationship among their attitudes toward Women’s Liberation and their birth control behavior.  As part of this study, it was necessary for me to immerse myself in the literature on feminism and come up with a small number of variables that defined the Women’s Movement.

Fast forward to Michelle Obama.  Recently, “Mom in Chief” has taken heat from a number of feminists for putting her family first.  Moreover, some see her efforts in the areas of fitness, wellness and a proper diet, and even reaching out to families in the military as issues that are important, but not nearly as important as women in the workplace.  The reasoning of these feminists is that Obama’s position as First Lady allows her to do so much more.

This controversy reminds me of work I did on a grant a couple of decades ago.  The grant, “Integrating Scholarship on Women into the College Curriculum,” enabled me to interact with a very diverse group of feminists.  More often than not, differences emerged between the black and white feminists of the group.  Because of their different histories and life experiences, these groups tended to have different goals and priorities.  For instance, black feminists were constantly reminding us that black women have always worked; it was never an option for them.  And often times, they worked for white women.

Going back to my study on birth control.  The one thing that all feminists seem to agree on is choice, whether it is the choice to work, the choice to take birth control, or the choice to serve in the military.  It seems to me that those feminists criticizing Michelle Obama are forgetting one of their basic principles.  First and foremost, this is her choice.  And the way in which she is carrying out this choice is something we can all respect.