Unlike Fox, CNN And MSNBC Turn To Female Panelists To Comment On “Breadwinner” Study

Written by Remington Shepard

Published

On May 29, CNN and MSNBC hosted all-female panels to respond to Pew research released that day that found that a record number of working women earn more than their spouses. Fox News, however, hosted no panel on the subject that day and Fox Business hosted an all-male panel that concluded that the research was a reflection of society's downfall.

Pew Research released a study on May 29 which found that mothers are the primary or sole source of income in a record 40 percent of all American households with minor children. Pew's report included both single mothers and married mothers who earned a higher income than their husbands. In response to the study, both CNN and MSNBC hosted panels of female guests to discuss the findings.

On the May 29 edition of CNN's CNN Newsroom, Brooke Baldwin hosted fitness expert Donna Richardson and career consultant Maggie Mistal to comment on the study. Richardson discussed her experience as the primary provider and caregiver in her household and Mistal offered advice to working mothers.

Likewise, on the May 29 edition of MSNBC's All In with Chris Hayes, Chris Hayes hosted Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (D-FL), Salon's Rebecca Traister and MomsRising.Org's Monifa Bandele to comment on the study.

According to searches of Media Matters' internal video archive, Fox News hosted no such panel on May 29. Fox News hosts Shepard Smith and Bret Baier and Fox Business's Lauren Simonetti briefly mentioned the study.

Lou Dobbs on the May 29 edition of his Fox Business show Lou Dobbs Tonight hosted a panel of all men -- Fox contributors Juan Williams, Erick Erickson, and Doug Schoen -- to discuss the study. On this panel, Erickson reacted to Pew's research by comparing the relationship between men and women to the relationship between male and female animals, concluding that men losing their dominant role in the family is “tearing us apart.”

Fox News' The Five co-hosts Greg Gutfeld, Andrea Tantaros, Dana Perino, Eric Bolling, and Bob Beckel covered the Pew Research study on May 30, supporting Erick Erickson's position that the increase in the number of women earning more than their spouses signals a breakdown of society.

The post has been updated for clarity.