Some Choice Words for Working Mothers from the OU

This is a passage from an article on the front page of Orthodox Union's website about being a stay-at-home mother:

In the professional arena, there is constant kudos. For a mommy, however, while the inner sense of fulfillment is there, the pats on the back are less frequent. The confidence that a fulltime mother must foster within herself is profound. This is especially so when the world out there - even the Orthodox world out there - often shows little appreciation for, or understanding of, the immeasurable value of raising children.

Fair enough. I often remark that non-working, stay-at-home mothers have the hardest job out there. And what could be more noble than giving up a salary or any free time to spend every waking moment with one's children? Nothing. The rest of the article, however, is not as noble. Check out the air of judgementalism toward working mothers in the next paragraph:

How often do you hear someone say, "How do you do it all? You must be a superwoman!" This accolade is almost always offered to a mother who works outside of the home. "You cook dinner too?!" usually follows the remark. Let's shatter the myth. Superwoman is not "doing it all." Someone else is raising her children and if she walks in at 5:00 PM and starts cooking dinner, she's not tending to her children's need for deeper nourishment while rushing to get the chicken on the table.

Um, is someone a bit defensive? I have no problem with the author of the article asserting her place as a true "supermom", but to so nastily put down a working mother's worth? She goes even further in the next section, trying to bring proof that working mothers do so for their own selfish reasons, and not out of necessity:

In an article in U.S. News and World Report entitled "Lies Parents Tell Themselves About Why They Work" (May 12, 1997), sociologist Arlie Hochschild observed that among female employees "home had become a place filled with incessant demands from noisy children, endless piles of laundry, few tangible rewards and little time to relax. At work, in contrast, people felt in control and their hard work was appreciated by colleagues and supervisors." Hochschild concluded that the reason most women who work full time do so is not because they absolutely have to but "mostly for the same reason men do. Increasingly the identification between occupational success and self-worth is as strong for women as it is for men."

If when you claim that women work "mostly for the same reasons men do", you mean to be able to afford tuition and put food on the table, then call me guilty. Otherwise, laud yourself all you want. I actually will laud you for you selfless choice as well. But when it comes to my life's choices, and your opinion on the existence (or lack thereof) of "spiritual nourishment" in my childrens' lives, please shut up.
I simply cannot believe the OU let this go up on the front page of their website. Especially, as Avrohom points out (hattip), "I'm not sure what message this is supposed to send all the married/child-rearing women who work at the OU."