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A former New Zealand cricketer Mark Richardson has come under fire for suggesting motherhood is not a job.

His co-hosts Duncan Garner and Amanda Gillies were weighing in on a new study, which found the average working mother puts in 98 hours per week when combining paid work and unpaid family duties.

Speaking on Monday morning’s The AM Show, the 46-year-old caused shock on the airwaves when he insisted family duties was not work, shares Daily Mail.

‘I was lucky enough to spend time with some kids at the weekend, which was a lot of fun but it is full on. There is no break and it is demanding in a lovely way,’ Gillies said.

Richardson chimed in with a different take on family duties.

‘Hear me quickly, I’ll make a quick point here, don’t crucify me and the frilly undie crowd – put your note pad and pens down,’ he said.

‘It is hard work being a mum… but you can’t call it a job, it is a fact of life. We raise children on this planet. It is not a job. Don’t call it a job.’
‘It is hard work, it’s a necessity of life, but don’t call it a job. It is what we have to do, I respect that it is so goddamn difficult, but I’m sorry I can’t call it another job.’

Garner quickly pointed out the findings in the study, saying a working mother was spending twice as more time than an average 40-hour a week job in the world.

‘I want to get this clear, you say “it’s not a job”, are you?’ Garner pressed Richardson, to which he responds ‘I was saying careful when you call it a job.

‘Alright? Because if you’re going to call it a job because it is damn hard work… it’s important work so therefore it’s important and hard work.

‘If you call it a job, it has to be remunerated properly… All I was saying let’s be diligent when it comes to the definition.’

The survey

A survey of 2000 American mums of children aged five to 12, conducted by juice company Welch’s, revealed that the average daily start time for a mum is 6.23am — much earlier than most people start their working day.

A mother’s working week is up to a whopping 98 hours of work, or two-and-a-half times more than the average job.

The survey also revealed that the average mum gets just one hour and seven minutes of time to herself every day — little more than a lunch hour.

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  • I understand what he’s saying. Often when people ask what I do, I say that I’m a sahm and that I don’t work. But then I continue to explain that I foster children (4 at the moment beside my own) and that that takes my full attention. Still I say I don’t work, maybe just because society perceives it in that way.

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  • I think he tied himself in a knot and failed to make a real point.

    Reply

  • I think that being parents is one of the most important jobs in the world.

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  • I do understand what he is trying to say but I like most others think he has no idea

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  • We may not get financial remuneration for being a Mother, but it has to be one of the most tiring and important jobs. Everyday, regardless of being a working Mum or a sahm Mum, we are shaping the people of the future, Dads too.

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