Kirstie Allsopp insists that career women are no better off than their mothers who put raising families first - and says the pressure to succeed is 'a rod for our own backs'

TV presenter Kirstie Allsopp, 46, shared her views on motherhood
She revealed that her intentions have always been to be a stay-at-home mum
She also says she would advise her daughter to have kids rather than a career

Published: 00:00 GMT, 19 December 2017 | Updated: 01:45 GMT, 19 December 2017

e-mail

179

View
comments

She has managed to juggle motherhood with a successful TV career but presenter Kirstie Allsopp says women who work in high-powered jobs are no better off than their mothers.

The TV star has revealed she never intended to work and instead wanted to be a stay-at-home mother with a large family.

Miss Allsopp, 46, who has two children with her property mogul partner Ben Andersen, said women working in high-powered jobs had made ‘a rod for our own backs’.

She said: ‘In the context of talking about sexism, a lot is expected of women. Are we better off than our mothers? Not necessarily. That’s an interesting debate. Have we made a rod for our own backs?’

TV presenter Kirstie Allsopp (pictured), 46, shared her views on motherhood and how they've influenced her career choices

Ms Allsopp, who splits her time between Devon and London, has two sons with her partner, named Bay, 11, and Oscar, nine. She is also step-mother to the property tycoon’s two other children, Hal and Orion.

She said modern women often say bringing up children is ‘boring’, describing this as a ‘monster myth’ that plagues women.

Speaking to Good Housekeeping magazine, she said: ‘I think that there are one or two monster myths that exist – like that bringing up children is boring.

‘I never intended to have a career. I dodged all the career sessions at school and told the careers teacher that I intended to get married and have four children and I had no need for careers. I wasn’t going to be that person.’

Despite her previous strong stance against becoming a career woman, she said she will now ‘never stop working’ and doesn’t ever plan to retire.

Kirstie has previously stated that she would advise her daughter to focus on having a boyfriend, flat and children instead of a career

She believes millennial men are equally as sexist as other generations despite having 'more knowledge' of women

She added: ‘I’ll never stop working. I have no concept of retirement. The most terrifying thing about the children growing up is, “What do I do when I don’t have to not work in order to be with the children?”’

The Location, Location, Location star, has been on TV since 2000 presenting a series of property shows and, more recently, a string of craft and homestyle programmes.

The full interview appears in the February issue of Good Housekeeping (pictured)

She describes herself as a ‘passionate feminist’, and is also known for her outspoken views about family life.

In 2014 she revealed she would advise her daughter to avoid university and instead focus on getting a flat, a boyfriend and having children.

The TV star said that while millennial men are ‘more knowledgeable’ about women, they are not less sexist.

She explained: ‘I don’t necessarily buy the argument that the younger generation of men are more respectful of women.

‘They may be more knowledgeable, but I don’t think they’re particularly more admiring of women. And maybe one shouldn’t be admiring of a sex in general. You should be admiring of specific people.’

The full interview appears in the February issue of Good Housekeeping, on sale January 3.