There aren’t many of them so perhaps it’s not surprising that US television host Matt Lauer wasn’t sure how to best interview a female CEO. He asked Mary Barra, the first female CEO of car manufacturing giant General Motors, whether it’s possible to run a major automaker and be a good mother.
The interview, which aired on the NBC’s Today Show, was the first televised interview Barra has agreed to since some major safety recalls were announced. GM is currently embroiled in controversy following an announcement in February that it was recalling of cars with faulty ignitions. According to Business Week the faulty ignition switches have been linked to at least 13 deaths and 54 crashes, and though the company only started recalling the faulty cars earlier this year, it has been aware of the problem for decades.
Consequently there were a number of critical questions for Lauer to ask Barra, who has worked in the company for thirty years. Instead Lauer asked whether Barra was given the job to promote a “softer image” for the company during a time of crisis.
“I want to tread lightly here, but you’ve heard it, you’ve heard it in Congress and you’ve heard it in the headlines. … But there are some people who are speculating that you got this job as a woman and as a mom because people within General Motors knew this company was in for a very tough time, and as a woman and a mom you could present a softer face and a softer image for the company as it goes through the episode,” Lauer asked.
Barra dismissed his reasoning and explained she was given the job because she’s qualified, having spent three decades climbing the company’s ranks. Lauer then turned to the next pressing question; whether it’s possible to be a CEO and a mum.
“You’re a mum, I mentioned—two kids,” he said. “You said in an interview, not long ago, that your kids said they’re going to hold you accountable for one job, and that is being a mom. Given the pressures of this job at General Motors, can you do both well?”
Barra, responded that she can do both well: “I think I can. I have a great team, we’re on the right path, we’re doing the right things, we’re taking accountability, and also I have a wonderful family, a supportive husband, and I’m pretty proud of my kids the way they’re supporting me in this.”
Lauer has faced plenty of flak online following his line of questioning, and was forced to defend himself in a Facebook post, saying that he was referencing a Forbes article where Barra talked about the challenges of balancing work life and home life, and said if a male CEO spoke publicly about the challenges of a high-profile job and parenting challenges, he’d ask them exactly the same thing.
“She had just accepted the job as the first female CEO of a major American automotive company, and in [an article] she said that she felt horrible when she missed her son’s junior prom. If a man had publicly said something similar after accepting a high-level job, I would have asked him exactly the same thing.”
But the trouble with Lauer’s defence is this: male chief executives don’t generally speak out about the difficulties of balancing home-life and work-life, because reporters don’t ask them how they manage to actually do it. To demonstrate this here are 10 times Lauer interviewed male CEOs of high profile companies and didn’t ask a single one about how they juggle both family life and their demanding jobs.