Has Ann Romney ever worked?
Even as Republicans and Democrats argue over whether stay-at-home mothers should feel insulted by a Democratic strategist’s comment that Mrs. Romney “never worked a day in her life,” a review of the record shows that Mrs. Romney has, in fact, worked outside the home at various stages of her life.
It’s not clear if her labor was paid or not; whatever pay she might have earned was certainly not enough to sustain a large family. But like most women who identify mainly as mothers, her life cannot be summed up in a single phrase.
Growing up in Michigan, Mrs. Romney pitched in at her father’s company, Jered Industries in Troy, as she has recalled on the campaign trail in February. The firm manufactured heavy machinery for the maritime industry.
As an adult, Mrs. Romney turned her talents as a chef into something of a small business in Massachusetts. She and a friend held cooking classes for local foodies, according to her son Josh, who described the sessions in a 2007 interview with The New York Times.
Beyond that, Mrs. Romney has held a number of posts with Boston-area charities and advocacy groups. She was, for example, a director at Best Friends, an organization focused on inner-city girls, and a volunteer instructor at the Mother Caroline Academy, a multicultural middle school in Boston.
Those stints, however intensive, time-consuming or lucrative, appear to belie the sweeping declaration by the Democratic operative, Hilary Rosen, that Mrs. Romney “never worked a day in her life.”
Ms. Rosen’s remarks on Wednesday night have touched off a lively debate over what qualifies as women’s work, especially as the presidential campaigns zero in on female voters.
A spokeswoman for Mitt Romney’s campaign, Andrea Saul, said: “The issue is not whether Ann has spent time working outside the home. Of course she did other things besides raise a family, including volunteering her time for causes that she cares about.”
“The real issue,” Ms. Saul said, “is that women make different choices regarding family and careers, and they should be supported no matter what decision they make.”
