Criticism over use of 'Dr' title by Biden's wife sparks outrage

WASHINGTON • A Wall Street Journal opinion piece criticising incoming first lady Jill Biden's use of the title "Dr" because she holds a PhD in education sciences, rather than a medical degree, has caused widespread outrage in the United States, including from predecessor Michelle Obama.

The Journal article, published last Saturday, has been panned for its attack on Dr Biden, who earned her Doctor of Education in 2007 and plans to keep teaching during her husband President-elect Joe Biden's time in office.

Column author Joseph Epstein was accused of patronising Dr Biden when he referred to her as "kiddo" and suggested her using the title was "fraudulent" and "a touch comic".

The attack stirred fierce debate, and on Monday, Mrs Obama joined the ranks of those defending the spouse of her husband's vice-president.

"For eight years, I saw Dr Jill Biden do what a lot of professional women do - successfully manage more than one responsibility at a time, from her teaching duties to her official obligations in the White House to her roles as a mother, wife and friend," she wrote in a post on Instagram.

"And right now, we're all seeing what also happens to so many professional women, whether their titles are Dr, Ms, Mrs, or even First Lady: All too often, our accomplishments are met with scepticism, even derision.

"After decades of work, we're forced to prove ourselves all over again," Mrs Obama said.

Mr Michael LaRosa, Dr Biden's spokesman, told the newspaper on Twitter that "if you had any respect for women at all, you would remove this repugnant display of chauvinism from your paper and apologise to her."

Dr Biden herself responded indirectly on Sunday when she tweeted: "Together, we will build a world where the achievements of our daughters will be celebrated rather than denigrated."

Northwestern University, where Mr Epstein had taught until 2003, was quick to distance itself from him, saying in a statement that the article "casts unmerited aspersion on Dr Jill Biden's rightful public claiming of her doctoral credentials and expertise".

And Mrs Hillary Clinton, both a former first lady and former secretary of state, simply tweeted: "Her name is Dr Jill Biden, get over yourself!"

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE