By
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON - Attorney General John Ashcroft turned the podium over to his wife yesterday to make the case for new laws that allow working women more flexibility to balance the demands of job and family.
Speaking at a National Women's History Month program at the Justice Department, Janet Ashcroft, a lawyer and former law professor, said women have been afforded more flexibility in recent years to work at home or return to work after raising children but more needs to be done.
"I am, personally, very pleased that women have options regarding entry into the workforce and also, in many cases, flexibility in work locations," she said. "And it is time that the law of the United States permitted it for more women, especially hourly workers in private industry."
While in the Senate, John Ashcroft pushed for legislation that would let workers choose time off instead of overtime pay, saying it would help working mothers who need time off for their families.
Introducing his wife, Ashcroft praised her as a "marvelous teacher" who always went the extra mile for her students.
Mrs. Ashcroft taught business law and individual income tax as a visiting assistant professor and a temporary assistant professor in Howard University's School of Business from January 1996 until last December.
She also co-authored, with her husband, business-law textbooks, a job she was able to do mostly from home.
She said she stayed out of the workforce for 18 years to raise her three children.
"I felt this was extremely important, and I applaud all women who do," said Mrs. Ashcroft, noting that her daughter, also a lawyer, temporarily left a job at a large international law firm to be a full-time mother.
