Cherie Blair criticises career-shunning 'yummy mummies'

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2012/jun/20/cherie-blair-criticises-career-yummy-mummies

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Cherie Blair has accused Britain's new generation of young women of betraying feminist struggles by wanting to marry rich and retire instead of setting a better example to their kids by having their own careers.

During a speech at Fortune magazine's Most Powerful Women event at the five-star Claridge's hotel in London earlier this week, barrister and wife of the former prime minister said that a growing band of so-called "yummy mummies" were happy to put their children first before a satisfying and rewarding career.

"One of the things that worries me now is you see young women who say: 'I look at the sacrifices that women have made and I think why do I need to bother, why can't I just marry a rich husband and retire?' and you think, how can they even imagine that is the way to fulfil yourself, how dangerous it is," she said.

The QC for the prominent Matrix chambers and a mother of four said women were becoming dangerously dependent on men as a result.

"Even good men could have an accident or die and you're left holding the baby," she warned.

"Every woman needs to be self-sufficient and in that way you really don't have a choice – for your own satisfaction," she said.

However, government figures show that around two-thirds of mothers are in some form of paid work, an increase of 5% since 1997. During Labour's 13-year term in office, there was a 30% rise to 2.2 million in the number of mothers in full-time work.

Recent figures also showed that government attempts to nudge single mothers into the workforce by stripping income support from parents once children turn seven instead of 10, may have pushed up the number of women claiming jobseeker's allowance (JSA).

During the conference, Power to Lead, which also featured the Barclays chief executive, Bob Diamond, Blair added that mothers would set a better example by working alongside raising children.

"You hear these yummy mummies talk about being the best possible mother and they put all their effort into their children. I also want to be the best possible mother, but I know that my job as a mother includes bringing my children up so actually they can live without me," she said.