Gender and politics: is marriage and motherhood necessary for a female politician?

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Motherhood generates talk in Okla. governor's race

In her quest to become Oklahoma's first female governor, Democrat Jari Askins has amassed an assortment of professional qualifications: she's been a judge, a legislator, the head of a state agency, and a corporate attorney.

But what she hasn't been is a wife. The 57-year-old career woman, who now serves as the state's lieutenant governor, has never been married or had children. And as this historic race between two women candidates for the state's top office nears its conclusion, that gap in her biography is attracting increasing attention.

At rallies and other appearances, opponent Rep. Mary Fallin, 55, a Republican congressman, regularly mentions her new husband and their combined six children. Fallin, who had two children from a previous marriage, married a divorced father of four in November. She says her family and her experience as a businesswoman and officeholder have made her most qualified to be governor.


But remarks by Fallin at a Tuesday campaign debate, in which she cited her motherhood as a key difference between the two candidates, drew groans from some in the audience and stirred discussion about whether the emphasis on Askins' unmarried status had gone too far.


Several other women in public life, including Republicans, objected. "I don't understand why that's important," said Brenda Reneau, a Republican and former state labor commissioner, questioning why a candidate's husband and children were worth stressing in a gubernatorial debate. "Is she going to bring them to work? I've never found one thing while I was in office that I needed experience in being married and having children."


State Sen. Judy Eason McIntyre, one of 17 women serving in Oklahoma's legislature, also said Fallin's comment seemed like a "cheap shot." McIntyre, a Democrat, said Askins' unmarried status "doesn't have anything to do with anything."


Fallin supporters insisted the contrast was appropriate. "How can you not talk about family?" said Tulsa banker Charlotte Mindeman.


But the awkward moment has stirred questions about gender and politics in a race that has been regarded as a feminist milestone here. Would calling attention to a woman's lack of spouse pay off in a conservative state where politicians campaign on family values? Or does no-holds-barred campaigning show how far women have progressed in a male-dominated arena?
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