"if you want something done well, hire a working mother".

c68zapdsm5i1ru · 22-10-2018 01:34PM #1

Said by Maia Dunphy in the Irish Times this weekend.

Surely a very unfair statement. Could you imagine if someone said, in a national newspaper 'If you want something done well, hire a man/single woman'.

I've worked with lots of great and talented people and they cover the entire range: women, men, parents, non parents, older people, younger people.

Just wondering if anyone agrees with her.

Boom_Bap · 22-10-2018 01:35PM

who?

somesoldiers · 22-10-2018 01:35PM

I hear she gave Johnny Vegas the Spanish Archer recently

Raging_Ninja · 22-10-2018 01:38PM

I've seen working mothers who are absolutely astounding at their jobs, great at time management and getting projects done all while working reduced hours.

I've also seen working mothers who are absolutely terrible at their jobs and are barely capable of getting anything done.

L.Jenkins · 22-10-2018 01:40PM

somesoldiers wrote: »

I hear she gave Johnny Vegas the Spanish Archer recently

Last year apparently. Had to Google her.

c68zapdsm5i1ru · 22-10-2018 01:41PM

Raging_Ninja wrote: »

I've seen working mothers are absolutely astounding at their jobs, great at time management and getting projects done all while working reduced hours.

I've also seen working mothers who are absolutely terrible at their jobs and are barely capable of getting anything done.

Yes, that's what I thought. 'Working mothers' aren't some homogenous group in the workplace. Some of them are hard working, talented, super organised or whatever. Some of them are just average and get by. And some of them are useless and lazy. Just like the rest of the population.

Odhinn · 22-10-2018 01:41PM

Ryland Prehistoric Jigsaw wrote: »

Said by Maia Dunphy in the Irish Times this weekend.

Surely a very unfair statement. Could you imagine if someone said, in a national newspaper 'If you want something done well, hire a man/single woman'.

I've worked with lots of great and talented people and they cover the entire range: women, men, parents, non parents, older people, younger people.

Just wondering if anyone agrees with her.

I suppose every now and again they have to fill space and nobody can come up with a decent article to throw in.

Surreptitious · 22-10-2018 01:41PM

She's trying to stay relevant. She is always hogging the media.

Hurrache · 22-10-2018 01:44PM

She didn't come up with that phrase, I heard it a long time ago. A cursory google even brings up another columnist that wrote about it 2 years ago, and an article from 2014 citing a study that found the same for a specific profession.

Did the boardsies from back then get their knickers in a twist, or is it just a new thing?

Shenshen · 22-10-2018 01:47PM

Ryland Prehistoric Jigsaw wrote: »

Said by Maia Dunphy in the Irish Times this weekend.

Surely a very unfair statement. Could you imagine if someone said, in a national newspaper 'If you want something done well, hire a man/single woman'.

I've worked with lots of great and talented people and they cover the entire range: women, men, parents, non parents, older people, younger people.

Just wondering if anyone agrees with her.

I wonder if it's a play on the quote "I will always choose a lazy person to do a difficult job because a lazy person will find an easy way to do it.", attributed to Bill Gates?

If it is, I get that's she's trying to imply that someone managing a busy, multi-faceted life might fit that description, too, but I'm not entirely sure if that is a fair assumption to make about all working mothers.
Some of them, certainly, but I've seen some proper headcases, too, in my time.

freshpopcorn · 22-10-2018 01:47PM

She's allowed to make statement like this because she's a feminists!

Hurrache · 22-10-2018 01:48PM

Hurrache wrote: »

Did the boardsies from back then get their knickers in a twist, or is it just a new thing?

Ah, probably not...

freshpopcorn wrote: »

She's allowed to make statement like this because she's a feminists!

Chinasea · 22-10-2018 01:55PM

Another kick in the teeth for women who can't have or have lost a child. Cope the eff on.

These women who have babies and start making out they are superwoman and are astounded at their life changing experience etc.

PS: The world is over populated.

Birneybau · 22-10-2018 02:20PM

Who cares what she has to say. We give mediocrity too much exposure in this country. Sharp elbows are all you need to get far.

Yer wan Maia Dunphy, Simon Delaney, Deirdre O' Kane. FFS

Fr_Dougal · 22-10-2018 02:28PM

I’m not quite sure what I’m outraged about, but it’s worse than hitler.

Neyite · 22-10-2018 02:44PM

Yeah, the hard-work ethic is automatically bestowed along with the child benefit and the park-anywhere blinky lights on our Dragon Wagons for us mothers. :pac:

One eyed Jack · 22-10-2018 02:45PM

Ryland Prehistoric Jigsaw wrote: »

Said by Maia Dunphy in the Irish Times this weekend.

Surely a very unfair statement. Could you imagine if someone said, in a national newspaper 'If you want something done well, hire a man/single woman'.

I've worked with lots of great and talented people and they cover the entire range: women, men, parents, non parents, older people, younger people.

Just wondering if anyone agrees with her.

I think she was giving her opinion based upon her experience, and honestly I don’t see anything wrong with her statement. I also wouldn’t see anything wrong with someone saying in a national newspaper that if someone wants something done well, hire a man/single woman? Do people not imply such things all the time when giving their opinions based upon their experience?

I still remember the furore over Mary O’ Rourke in praising her campaign team opined that they worked like blacks -

https://m.independent.ie/irish-news/orourke-sparks-row-over-blacks-remarks-26403140.html

I understood what she meant then too. It was obvious she hadn’t meant to offend anyone, and the reaction to her comments were over the top then, God only knows what the reaction would be like now.

One eyed Jack · 22-10-2018 02:48PM

Chinasea wrote: »

Another kick in the teeth for women who can't have or have lost a child. Cope the eff on.

These women who have babies and start making out they are superwoman and are astounded at their life changing experience etc.

PS: The world is over populated.

You have to be taking the piss?

Riskymove · 22-10-2018 02:54PM

One eyed Jack wrote: »

honestly I don’t see anything wrong with her statement.

the implication is obviously that someone other than a working mother would not do a job well

Even if it is her experience, it is a generalization, which is usually frowned upon at present.

As for nothing wrong with her statement, if she had said "if you want a job done well, don't hire a working mother"...what would you think?

Your Face · 22-10-2018 03:00PM

If you want something done well, put it in at a higher temperature.

c68zapdsm5i1ru · 22-10-2018 03:53PM

One eyed Jack wrote: »

I think she was giving her opinion based upon her experience, and honestly I don’t see anything wrong with her statement. I also wouldn’t see anything wrong with someone saying in a national newspaper that if someone wants something done well, hire a man/single woman? Do people not imply such things all the time when giving their opinions based upon their experience?

I still remember the furore over Mary O’ Rourke in praising her campaign team opined that they worked like blacks -

https://m.independent.ie/irish-news/orourke-sparks-row-over-blacks-remarks-26403140.html

I understood what she meant then too. It was obvious she hadn’t meant to offend anyone, and the reaction to her comments were over the top then, God only knows what the reaction would be like now.

A more apt comparison would be if Maia Dunphy had said 'if you want a job done well, hire a white person'?
Would you be okay with that statement?

Hurrache · 22-10-2018 03:54PM

Ryland Prehistoric Jigsaw wrote: »

A more apt comparison would be if Maia Dunphy had said 'if you want a job done well, hire a white person'?
Would you be okay with that statement?

Christ.

AustinLostin · 22-10-2018 03:59PM

Ryland Prehistoric Jigsaw wrote: »

A more apt comparison would be if Maia Dunphy had said 'if you want a job done well, hire a white person'?
Would you be okay with that statement?

Not really an apt comparison at all. A working mother would imply someone who has managed to stay on top of raising a family and on top of a career. I think she was implying the experience of managing a workload and a family makes one more efficient etc etc.

A more apt comparison would be 'if you want a job done well, hire someone with experience'. Would you have been over sensitive about that statement as well?

neonsofa · 22-10-2018 04:03PM

AustinLostin wrote: »

Not really an apt comparison at all. A working mother would imply someone who has managed to stay on top of raising a family and on top of a career. I think she was implying the experience of managing a workload and a family makes one more efficient etc etc.

A more apt comparison would be 'if you want a job done well, hire someone with experience'. Would you have been over sensitive about that statement as well?

I always heard the phrase "if you want a job done well, ask the person who is always busy", and i assume it's for the very reasons you say, that they manage to juggle their other tasks well and get on with it.

pleas advice · 22-10-2018 04:04PM

'if you want something done, ask a busy man' or woman

neonsofa · 22-10-2018 04:05PM

pleas advice wrote: »

'if you want something done, ask a busy man'

This is the phrase that I butchered in my previous post!

c68zapdsm5i1ru · 22-10-2018 04:05PM

AustinLostin wrote: »

Not really an apt comparison at all. A working mother would imply someone who has managed to stay on top of raising a family and on top of a career. I think she was implying the experience of managing a workload and a family makes one more efficient etc etc.

A more apt comparison would be 'if you want a job done well, hire someone with experience'. Would you have been over sensitive about that statement as well?

I don't think I'm being 'over sensitive' about the first statement.

'Hire someone with experience' is absolutely not the same as saying 'hire a working mother.'
If she had said 'in my experience having to juggle a child and a job has made me much better at time management' that would be fine.

But obviously you have no experience around women who cannot have children and who don't like being made to feel second class. I have, and I know how upsetting a statement like Maia's can be to those 'over sensitive' women.

Outlaw Pete · 22-10-2018 04:15PM

It was actually Aine Kerr that said it and sure nonsense like that is nothing knew with these types.

She also said: "Anything a man can do, a woman can do while breastfeeding".

Well, will look forward to seeing a woman running 100m as fast as Usain Bolt with a nipper hanging off her boobie so.

Chinasea · 22-10-2018 04:16PM

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One eyed Jack wrote: »

You have to be taking the piss?

Next time you get the chance, ask someone who is unable to have a child or has a lost a child how they feel about this and then report back.

Hurrache · 22-10-2018 04:16PM

Ryland Prehistoric Jigsaw wrote: »

I don't think I'm being 'over sensitive' about the first statement.
......

But obviously you have no experience around women who cannot have children and who don't like being made to feel second class.

Chinasea wrote: »

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Next time you get the chance, ask someone who is unable to have a child or has a lost a child how they feel about this and then report back.

You are being the very definition of over sensitive, and those who feel like they're being made to feel second class are too.

Should we drop every comparison which refers to a man, women, boy, girl, dog, cat, car, house, wife, husband, in case it 'offends' someone who by some stretch of the imagination feels slighted by the reference to any of those?

Buford T. Justice XIX · 22-10-2018 04:17PM

Hurrache wrote: »

Christ.

Tbh, he was middle eastern, not white but it's a common misconception...

"if you want something done well, hire a working mother".

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