U.S. Secretary of Education Ties Working Moms to Academic Achievement Decline
The November 6, 1991, issue of Education Week included the following report of a speech by Secretary of Education, Lamar Alexander:
Mr. Alexander often says that parents are not doing enough to promote their children's education.
But he reportedly went further at an event last month in Nashville, arguing that women choosing to work outside the home hurt American students' educational performance more than any other factor.
“The most important thing that happened in the 70's and 80's was the large number of women who went from being at home to working outside the home,” the Secretary said, according to the Nashville Banner.
“That's not Mom's fault, but we haven't kept up with the changing workforce,” Mr. Alexander reportedly said. “We're not spending as much time caring for and raising children and giving them support at home, and that's creating a lot more problems in schools.”
