Yahoo’s New CEO; Feminism Vs. Chauvinism

In a world where everything is everybody’s business and your next door neighbor is breathing down your neck to fish for new gossips, the latest talk of the town is Marissa Mayer. Although her shift from Google to Yahoo can safely be described as discrete, swift and surprising, the developments in her personal life are far from it.

The hiring of Ms. Mayer as Yahoo’s CEO came as a surprise for many when she announced, “I’m incredibly excited to start my new role at Yahoo! Tomorrow,” on July 16^th 2012. But it doesn’t end here; there are now reports of her pregnancy. Yes, this Standford Grad and Google’s first female engineer is reported to be pregnant with a baby boy – just as she wears the high-profile shoes of Yahoo’s CEO.

Besides the hiring, the news has been abuzz with reports of the 37 year old due to give birth in October. Not only that, but some jokes have also been floating, including a tweet which says, “At least we know someone will actually be delivering something at Yahoo this year”

What’s amusing to note is the chauvinistic mentality that reeks off in many news stories. One wonders why the same coverage isn’t given to male CEOs who are on their way to becoming daddies. Instead of considering it a giant leap for women, many critics are having a field day by mocking this announcement. There have been innuendos of her taking a ton of maternity leaves, while some people have gone as far as saying a pregnant woman should not be entrusted with a CEOs position. This has obviously enraged feminists, who consider it blatant discrimination against ambitious, working women.

Regarding her maternity leaves, Marissa clarifies that, “My maternity leave will be a few weeks long and I’ll work throughout it.” On the other hand, she also claims out of all the Yahoo directors, none of them showed any concern regarding recruiting a pregnant CEO. “They showed their evolved thinking,” she said.

While critics are in over-drive, many supporters have also surfaced. They are not only singing praises for Marissa Mayer’s courage and ambition, but there have also been positive comments regarding Yahoo’s valor to hire a soon-to-be-mommy.