Oooh boy. Matt Lauer’s fallen into another cauldron of hot water. He’s stirred up a controversy by asking GM CEO Mary Barra if she could do her job well … even though she is a mother too. If you look at the question all by itself, Matt looks like a giant, sexist a-hole. In context, his question isn’t offbase. The problem is that celebrity women are always asked about their families — we’re used to reading interviews of actresses where they are asked about marriage and babies. Whereas male actors get to talk about their “work” instead. It isn’t fair, I know. That dichotomy is being projected onto this interview with Mary Barra, and it makes Matt look like a judgy, prototypical sexist who cannot see past Betty Draper and diaper duty. Here’s what he said:
Lauer: “You’re a mom, I mentioned, two kids. You said in an interview not long ago that your kids told you they’re going to hold you accountable for one job and that is being a mom.”
Barra: “Correct.”
Lauer: “Given the pressures of this job at General Motors, can you do both well?”
Barra: “You know, I think I can. I have a great team, we’re on the right path. I have a wonderful family, a supportive husband and I’m pretty proud of the way my kids are supporting me in this.”
[From Today]
It looks awful in print, right? Matt even dug his hole a little further by asking whether Barra was made CEO because, “as a woman and a mom you could present a softer image and softer face for this company as it goes through this horrible episode.” Oof.
Here’s the thing: Mary Barra has been talking about the work-life balance for a long time already. She was the one who opened this door in previous interviews. She talked about how she missed her son’s junior prom and how it’s difficult to balance everything (because it IS). Matt has taken to Facebook to defend his questions to Barra (who, btw, hasn’t said anything at all about this controversy):
“As part of the interview, I referenced this Forbes article where Barra talked about the challenge of balancing work life and home life. She said, ‘My kids told me the one job they are going to hold me accountable for is mom.’ She had just accepted the job as the first female CEO of a major American automotive company, and in the article she said that she felt horrible when she missed her son’s junior prom. It’s an issue almost any parent including myself can relate to. If a man had publicly said something similar after accepting a high-level job, I would have asked him exactly the same thing.”
“A couple weeks ago, we did a series on ‘Modern Dads’ and the challenges of fatherhood today. Work-life balance was one of our focuses. It’s an important topic, one that I’m familiar with personally, and I hope we can continue the discussion.”
[From Matt Lauer on Facebook]
I have no experience with GM cars, but everyone knows that GM (based in Detroit) has been having serious problems for many years. Barra has worked her way up at GM for decades. She’s not new there. She very well could be a major part of the company’s problem (but not because she’s a mom!). None of that will be noticed here because the big focus is on Matt Lauer, sexist.
Screencaps courtesy of NBC & YouTube; photos courtesy of WENN
He is an A$$Hole, cannot stand him
an a-hole he well might be, but here i find his explanation reasonable. She did started this topic herself.
+1
I honestly don’t see anything wrong with these questions, and she doesn’t seem offended. She brought it up in the first place. And it’s not true that only women are asked about their families in interviews. Mark wahlberg for example talks about his kids in almost every interview.
It’s Matt Lauer, a man incapable of the kind of reasoning it would take to develop a sexist attitude. A man who gets all his words fed to him through an earpiece.
He’s an idiot a-hole who has bigger idiot a-holes at NBC protecting him.
It wasn’t a sexist question, it was a stupid question.
It was asked by a stupid man.
Case closed
Oh you object?
Over-ruled.
*drops mic, walks off stage*
Damnit.
Would you ask a dad that? No? Sexist.
This is total bullsh*t!! I’m so sick and tired of this conversation. Why can’t I be successful, driven, ballsey and a mother?! Damn it haven’t we progressed at all?
Agreed, you never hear a interviewer ask any male CEO ‘So can you be a great involved father and a CEO of a big business?’. This is just out right sexist and it’s tiring by now.
Exactly. And I call BS on the, ” if a man had said that I would have asked the same question.” Bull$hit. No you wouldn’t.
Not unless the dad opened the dialogue on that particular issue – which this woman clearly did in a previous interview. But I have read plenty of interviews in which businessmen/actors/sportsmen talk about the work/life balance.
If it was out of the blue, then it would be sexist; otherwise it’s just people looking to be offended.
You seem to like telling people they are just looking for something to be offended about. Feeling offended by people taking offense?
If you think high power men and women are treated the same in interviews, i have a lovely bridge to sell you.
This is an issue that as a journalist and a feminist I see all the time. We are sometimes instructed to ask different questions of different sexes, and the “how can you be a mom and a CEO” is the prime example. Men are RARELY asked these questions.
In the case of the Today show, yes, they did the series about “Modern Dads” which was mostly fluffy “kids love their dads and some dads stay at home now, and awe poor dads who get judged at the playground”. The one poignant part of it was one dad who said “they’ll say ‘oh you’re babysitting today?’ No, they would never say that to a mother.”
I don’t think it’s coincidence that this is an issue people raise with Lauer in particular, because he’s not too well-liked. He’s an easy target. Instead of picking on him, we should be having a larger discussion about journalists refusing to contribute to sexism in today’s culture by asking gender-biased questions like that.
Edit: Not all gender-specific questions are biased or somehow off-limits. I would love to hear Barra talk about any sexism she experienced climbing up the GM ladder, and how she overcame it to be the first female CEO of an American car company. I would LOVE to hear about that.
Okay, that’s my schpiel for the day!
interesting perspective.
hopefully this incident will get the conversation started. or is that too optimistic?
Unfortunately, I think it’s too optimistic. But I agree that the perspective is a good one. I can’t stand Lauer, and I can’t believe I am about to say this but I don’t think he was totally out of line. She DID bring it up recently. And while the “can we have it all” question is stupid and sexist , it IS a popular question lately. So, fine, bring it up Lauer, because the more we talk about it the sooner we can all move on.
To me, it doesn’t matter if she brought it up or not. I am pissed off that it has even come up, ever, by whomever.
Good words.
He is a big time smug Ahole! His sexist interview with Angelina Jolie made me have even more respect for her. How she didn’t kick his a$$ for asking those incredibly rude questions, I will never know.
what did he ask her?
He kept asking her if she cooks & cleans. Does she make breakfast for the kids every morning? If he walked into her house 7 in the morning, does Angelina have “rollers in her hair” cooking for her family? Then this jerk kept asking her why she doesn’t just quit show business and stay home with her kids? Why wait till they are teenagers? Like shut the f**k up! You could clearly tell she was uncomfortable. She was answering politely but he just wanted to make her feel like a bad mom.
BTW, I don’t think there is anything wrong with doing those things for your kids or even being asked those questions. It’s just women are ALWAYS expected to talk about plastic surgery or children. It’s like they are on a witch trial to prove their innocence. Men are never asked these things in every single interview.
unreal.
I bought my first car last august. It’s a 2008 Pontiac G6. And I really really enjoy this car. I used to drive only my parents Toyota Rav 4’s, and honestly, we’ve been more screwed over by Toyota than I have been with GM.
Give it time! I had a 2007 G6 coupe GT! Beautiful car…terrible on gas, constantly needing work as early as at 30,000! I’m pretty sure every winter I had it at the dealership! Don’t get my wrong I loved the sturdiness of that vehicle & the look!
I just totaled it in April & they airbag hardly deployed. It didn’t even hit me in the face b/c it was a malfunctioned airbag.
I just got a 2014 Hondo Civic & will save $550 a year on gas!
Good luck to you!
So the first female GM of a major car company is asked about Motherhood and this is all this dingbat could make a topic of conversation.
You know it is a cold day when Tom Cruise gives a accurate description of Matt Lauer.
Sexist! Especially coming from someone who has a history of getting his female co-host fired. Used to love him – no more.
Can I dislike that the sexist undertones still exist in this conversation while also saying that I don’t completely think Matt Lauer deserves all the censure for this, given that his guest has made it her business to talk about this?
Because I really dislike that women are still given the raised brow over whether they should even be working when they have kids at home, and men get nothing of the sort. Especially when this country refuses to give its citizens any maternity/paternity leave.
There’s basically no excuse.
I think that if she (GM) wants the publicity they so need, then questions of this nature go with the territory of opening yourself up to scruitiny. Journalists always seek the controversial angle; here it’s the age old debate – can you be a good mom and be a tough, effective business person too? Yah, whatever. Beat a very,very dead horse.
For Pete’s Sake, she is the CEO of a huge corporation facing major legal issues. I watched the interview; there was nothing sexist about that question. It was a legitimate question and a necessary question given the enormity of her expected performance.
Please quit blaming Matt Lauer for everything, including Ann Curry’s departure. She’s a nice woman, but she was AWFUL at her job.
@JudyK – ok, so then you would agree that EVERY CEO who’s interviewed should be asked the same question – male or female, right? And the point is that Lauer and every other journalist DOESN”T EVER ask male CEOs if THEY can balance their work and home life. The issue is more about the double standard. It’s Lauer’s history of cheating on his wife and getting his female co-stars fired is why most people here are using him as a the poster boy for sexist interviews in this particular case.
I get the point Bec. I stand behind my comment.
I don’t think Matt Lauer is an angel, but I think he’s a damned good journalist, and you do not know that he’s responsible for Ann Curry losing her job. She was too emotional, too touchy feely…not the mark of a good journalist. I still like her as a person but not as a news anchor, and I also greatly respect her work overseas…she’s been in some dangerous situations and handled them well…that’s where she shines.
Ann curry is a better legitimate journalist than Matt lauer any day. Also have you ever been bullied in the workplace the way Curry was? I am being mean girl-ed at my current job and at nearly 40 it still hurts.
@Clever hand. I have also been mean-girled in various law offices I’ve worked at and I can relate to it still hurting. I did not see Matt Lauer “mean-girling” Ann Curry.
The way NBC handled her departure, however, was despicable and hard to watch and I blame NBC, not Matt Lauer, for their absolute insensitivity…it was mean, and I think Ann Curry deserves major compensation for being publicly humiliated by some idiot executives who allowed that to go down the way it did.
Agreed–male CEO/politicians/leaders are NOT asked this question.
The landscape for women will change when we start to change the dialogue. Not expecting this to come from TODAY or Lauer – both trapped in their Mad Men mentality…
@ clever hand
It sure does. I am sorry that’s happening to you. I got mean girl-ed a few years ago by a group of women, it was awful to go through it. I more or less gave up trying to have friends after that saga. I have 1 girlfriend now and that’s enough, we get together and chat, our kids get along. I miss “girl time” but not the drama.
I would hate to have to go to work in that environment every day ((hugs)))
My feeling that Matt had to do with it comes from the book written about the whole debacle, can’t remember the name but I read half or so at my sisters
Okay, well, I haven’t read any books about it, and I do understand opposing views to mine.
I meant to say that I’m sorry you are going through being bullied or targeted in any fashion. I’m retired now, but I well remember (from even a few years ago) of having to go through some unbelievable acts of nastiness. Believe me when I tell you to be strong and it will be okay. I wish I had your email address and I’d talk to you about this privately.
Hang in there–you can rise above it.
“It was a legitimate question and a necessary question given the enormity of her expected performance”
I don’t agree with this. A person’s ability to do their job has little to do with their parenting. Clearly she was able to do her job while being a parent over the many YEARS she worked at GM, as evidenced by her repeated promotions all the way up to the top. As others have said, if it was a legitimate and necessary question, it would be asked by all CEOs, including the male ones. It is not regularly asked of male CEOs, they focus on the specifics of business. Since this is a woman, they want to talk about her feelings not her business strategy.
Exactly!
@judy, I am so with you!! I am mystified at the Lauer hate. I’ve always regarded him as a top notch journalist. If he’s smug ( which I don’t necessarily agree with) at least he has something to be smug about! He is always prepared and knowledgable in interveiws. In my book he deserves a medal for co-anchoring with that insufferable Ann Curry for far too long
THANK YOU!!!
You have no idea how much your support means to me. I have faithfully watched TODAY for 20+ years and agree w/ all you said. Ann Curry was insufferable as a journalist with her puppy-dog eyes and her way-too-familiar touching of guests. It became nauseating.
I was never inversted in the early morning wars but Ann Curry did seem to trade a lot in ‘Mmm’s and leading questions.
Even Barra’s thoughts on the “glass cliff” phenomenon, would have been more interesting for Lauer to explore…
http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/currency/2014/04/mary-barra-general-motors-ceo-glass-cliff.html
That is very interesting! Especially this part:
The term, coined in a 2005 paper by the University of Exeter psychologists Michelle Ryan and Alex Haslam, now of the University of Queensland, describes a phenomenon in which companies promote women in times of crisis. This can happen for various reasons; men in power may scatter when times are bad, making it likelier that women will take over leadership spots, for example. The promotions, however, can problematically lead women to take the fall for their companies’ problems, and then be forced to step down after crises are resolved.”
I watched this interview, she looked a little miffed and surprised when he ask her that. And yes, it is sexist as no one ask men that, or doubts their capabilities because they have children. I can’t believe we still have to deal with this bs. Mr. Lauer, I can do your job, mine, and still raise my children…why? Cause women are multi tasking bad asses like that.
AMEN!
Go elo!!! I also hate the fact that men are praised for working long hours, even though they have children at home, but when a woman does it, it is taken as neglecting the children.
@Swack, exactly! It happens all the time in politics, frequently they hold it against women on a campaign trail and never men. Most recently Wendy Davis in Texas, in the past Palin and now Hilary at grandmother status. This shows how intimidated the patriarchal society has become by women in the work place, and they should be, most college grads are women, more women hold masters degrees then men, and more and more employers notice what badass multi taskers we are so we hold more managerial positions than men, for the first time ever. So what do they do? Refuse to pay us equally and criticize our mothering. I don’t know about you ladies, but I am fed the F#$& up!
And, women are still paid less then men. I seriously do not understand how women can defend the sexism of men in the workplace. Enough is enough.
There are lots of male executives who work constantly and are absentee husbands and fathers. It’s pretty much a given. I think that’s why they’re not asked about it.
If it’s a given that they’re “absentee,” maybe they should be asked if they feel like they’re missing out on what really matters in life? Or perhaps “If you had it all to do over, would you make the same choices to neglect your home life?” Or even “Does part of you feel unfulfilled for having ignored your natural urges to be a good husband?” Let’s face it, there are just as many ways to belittle men as women, one simply needs the desire to be a complete jagoff to both genders.
+1
I still remember the 60 Minutes interview with Felicity Huffman, at the height of her Desperate Housewives/Transamerica fame, when Lesley Stahl asked her if motherhood is the best experience in her life:
“No. No, and I resent that question.
Because I think it puts women in an untenable position, because unless I say to you, ‘Oh, Lesley, it’s the best thing I’ve ever done with my whole life,’ I’m considered a bad mother. And just when I said no you, you went back.”
Stahl would never have asked that question to William H. Macy or another man, but because Huffman is a woman, the starting point is that motherhood is the be-all and end-all of her existence.
He’s an idiot but that’s not new. He’s also far from alone. The media continues to be deeply sexist.
Her company is a disaster and she must answer for it, that’s equality! Would he be throwing soft ball questions at a man in this case? He’s not a journalist, he’s a joke.
Yes, she opened the door with the Forbes article BUT Lauer’s emphasis on her gender was unnecessary to create a good interview – and is surprising given the supposedly large female audience for the show… at a minimum it shows how out of touch Lauer is with his audience. However, the real discussion should not be why Lauer thought it was worth discussing her gender in her new role – but rather why we treat as an aberration the appointment of a female CEO in 2014. I’m praying female journalists start asking male CEOs if THEY can balance their work and home life – is there a union of female journalists? Can they make a pact to start doing this with every interview, regardless of whether the producer has approved it? Please?
you know, some of the most sexist people I know are women. I’m just saying, Matt’s audience doesn’t necessarily think that women should work. They watch the today show ffs.
“the real discussion should not be why Lauer thought it was worth discussing her gender in her new role – but rather why we treat as an aberration the appointment of a female CEO in 2014.”
YES!!!
I’d say based on the fact that a gazillion cars had to be recalled, and the woman hemmed and hawed before congress, the CEO job didn’t go all that well. PEOPLE DIED. I couldn’t give an F about her motherhood status, frankly.
True, but people were dying 12 years ago. That is when the problem was discovered by GM and the heads of the company made their devastating choices (to not to spend $1 per car to fix the problem and just let the malfunction happen). I don’t know if she is totally innocent, but she was brought in as CEO after the fact to do the clean up job. She isn’t the cause of the problem.
No, but she seemed to also be the cover-up queen. What little I’ve seen of her (and not this interview), I don’t care for her. Talking about her being a mother is an attempt, I think, to humanize her.
I agree with those points generally, but I don’t know if I can fault her as a “cover up queen”. She was brought in to atone for other people’s mistakes, which is a shitty position to be in. It is less liability to bring in someone who sincerely doesn’t know the details of the problem, because the hemming and hawing comes from a place of ignorance.
I do agree it was a calculated move to bring in a woman and have her talk about motherly issues, but I don’t know if I side eye her for that. I side eye GM for that. I have read more about her than I have watched on video, so it is entirely possible that I am missing a part of how she handles the responsibilities she now has.
I read the story that Santolina linked above, and it brought up an interesting point. This is perhaps why I am being a little soft on her.
Regarding the “Glass Cliff” the New Yorker wrote, “The term, coined in a 2005 paper by the University of Exeter psychologists Michelle Ryan and Alex Haslam, now of the University of Queensland, describes a phenomenon in which companies promote women in times of crisis. This can happen for various reasons; men in power may scatter when times are bad, making it likelier that women will take over leadership spots, for example. The promotions, however, can problematically lead women to take the fall for their companies’ problems, and then be forced to step down after crises are resolved.” …
“Barra has testified that she first became aware of a problem with the Chevrolet Cobalt, one of the recalled models, in late December, after the board had chosen her as C.E.O. but before she began the role. “One reason why women get given precarious leadership positions is that they do not have access to the high-quality information and support that might warn them off,” Haslam said.”
Fair enough, Tiff, have a great weekend.
You too, sweetie!
Look, I really dislike Matt Lauer. I think he’s a piss poor journalist. But, I don’t think this was a sexist question. I think it was a softball–a clumsy one, but still. I think it was his way of trying to get a female CEO on the record regarding something that many people who watch his show still think is a legitimate question. I’m not sure Lauer thinks its a legitimate question himself, but the fact is that his audience sadly does. To overcome that, the public needs good examples of powerful women making it work. I’m giving Matt the benefit of the doubt and assuming that’s where his head was. As a working professional mom, I wouldn’t hesitate to answer that question and would be HAPPY to have the opportunity to tell all the naysayers how good my family has it. *shrug*
I agree with you and am sorry that his ineptitude is getting him exactly what he wants–attention for that ridiculous morning show.
You’re glib, Matt. 😉
Women are usually the primary caretakers of their kids and often seek to work while being actively involved with their children’s lives. This usually isn’t a question that comes up for men because most of the time men will willingly put in long hours in the office to work and sacrifice spending time with their family.
Yes, more women nowadays want to be the CEO of a large corporation and still be able to make their kids soccer games, help them with their homework and spend time with them in the evenings, but is this possible when you are required (or pressured) by your job to put in an 80 hour work week? I don’t know.
I don’t think that this is an offensive question to ask because a lot of women in these positions are the ones complaining/raising the issue about not being able to have the work-family balance that they want. You can go off of the rails and call it a “sexist” question to ask, but since women in these positions are constantly complaining and really want something to change, why does it all of a sudden become a problem to ask them about it???
Honestly I think the bigger issue is that large corporations need to stop requiring people to work 80 hour work weeks, and that MEN need to chime in and speak up more about not working so much and spending time with their families, because I like to think that there are men out there who want to actively engage in raising their children, too. Perhaps if these things would occur, we would start seeing changes in how corporations function and that this issue will become LESS of an issue.
My measurement for a sexist question in an interview is IF a man would ever be asked this question. And this one is EASY- no–male CEOs are NEVER EVER asked this question.
is it SEXIST? Of course, it is..no question on that.
Seriously I am so far from PC…………But this is BS. For real. I would have no problem with the question if men were asked the same questions.
No man is ever asked who provides their childcare, it assumed the wife handles all that. I bet no one asks my husband where his kid goes for childcare. This is just crazy double standards.
It’s called journalism… they do this all the time. It’s fishing for a reaction, either out of the interviewee or the readers. Same like how whoever wrote this took the bait and reacted and turned it over to us to react to. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, that’s what I come here for haha!
Wait!! There’s a quote in this article that no commenter has focused on yet. Seriously? He asked her if she got the job BECAUSE she’s a woman?!?! Not because, like, they thought she was the right fit? How insulting.
Here’s that quote:
“Matt even dug his hole a little further by asking whether Barra was made CEO because, ‘as a woman and a mom you could present a softer image and softer face for this company as it goes through this horrible episode.’l
See, I think she’s the wrong person to ask that question, but at the same time, it’s not beyond corporate strategy to actually make a person the face of the organization for just those very reasons. The question should have been posed to the person who made her spokesperson.
HA!
good point!
what an arse.
This isn’t a VP choice (side eye to you J. McCaine), this is the person in charge of a multi-billion dollar company with a tremendous impact on the entire U.S. economy. I imagine she is extraordinarily qualified and the selection has all to do with her qualifications and nothing to do with her gender. This comment by Lauer as well as his question of how she balances work and being a mother is diminishing and sexist.
Forgive me if this point has been stated previously in the posts. My toddler is asleep and I choose to devour the articles first and comments later, if possible.
“Here’s the thing: Mary Barra has been talking about the work-life balance for a long time already. She was the one who opened this door in previous interviews. She talked about how she missed her son’s junior prom and how it’s difficult to balance everything ”
If I can be frank, it’s almost as though you, yourself, stated the obvious. I can’t stand Matt overrated oatmeal missionary only Lauer as much as the next person. However, she’s made this her platform, as you stated, he’s only interviewing her based on what she’s made her identity. Also, like you stated, it’s Totally different for men. Know why? We are the only gender out of the two that are able to carry, form and give birth to humans. So yeah, it’s different for women. Sexist? Not really. Reality! My 3 year old obsesses over his mommy more so than daddy. So yeah, it’s not a huge issue every morning when my husband goes to work. I plan to go back to pharmaceutical sales this August when my son goes to preschool. It’s going to be a major thing. Therefore, calling the obvious “sexist” is not fair. It is what it is. Fair or not.
Matt Lauer cherry picked this quote out of a vast array of other quotes/discussion topics, namely and most importantly the deaths attributed to GM’s product and the subsequent late recall. It was clumsy and it was sexist.
I don’t find this offensive at all. Lets face it, yes we have feminism, but as a new mom myself I see the difference in the way I respond to my kids and they respond to me vs my husband. I think that as a mother the relationship is different from a father. Even though I believe in equality of genders I do see that, so I don’t find his question offensive. It is a burning question in my mind too, how do you balance the two without all the guilt and everything.
Yes. I totally agree. I’m a working mother of two and the reason women are asked this question and not men is because they know women run the household more often than not. No matter how great and helpful the husband is, a women’s job at home is far greater than a man’s. Can we do both things well? Yes we can, because women are amazing. But it’s hard. Even if a man takes half of the responsibilities of shopping, cleaning, cooking, running errands, there still is a difference in the emotional needs of the children. My children adore their Dad but they have a “need” for me that requires more time.
I’m so sick of men asking this question. Women work now; get over it!!!
A “softer image”?!? F*ck you Matt Lauer.
Matt is so dumb. This is his schtick: Ask assinine questions under the guise of being ‘smart’ or ‘discussing issues.’ Meanwhile the real questions go unasked and unanswered. And yeah she probably did bring up the topic herself. She outsmarted him. I wouldn’t want to be called out for failing at my job either. He’s easy to distract. Boring.
Why is he still working?