Harlean Botha: It’s not 1956

As a woman, I was a more than a bit startled by the statement made by Democratic primary candidate Lindy Brown about her opponent, Vicki Scroggins-Johnson, in the March 5 news article “2 primaries, 4 hopefuls for new at-large seat.”

Brown stated, “I have the time to invest, whereas she’s working full-time and has small children.” Is this criticism of a woman who wants both family and career?

The fact that this statement came from a woman, and one who herself held public office in the past, makes it unpalatable. For one thing, as Scroggins-Johnson has pointed out, her children are in high school and college, so Brown’s statement about “small children” in itself is wrong.

Also, if Brown’s opponent in the primary were a man, would she have made the same assertion? This needs to be a non-issue. This is 2016, after all.

This story was originally published March 8, 2016 at 4:28 PM with the headline "Harlean Botha: It’s not 1956."