Editor 's note : Campbell Brown anchors CNN 's `` Campbell Brown : No Bias , No Bull '' at 8 p.m . ET Mondays through Fridays . She delivered this commentary during the `` Cutting through the Bull '' segment of Tuesday night 's broadcast . CNN 's Campbell Brown says `` having no life '' is n't a requirement for a man to get a job . ( CNN ) -- How many times have politicians been warned about the dangers of an open microphone ? And yet , on Tuesday , the lectern mic at the National Governors Conference picked up this little nugget from Pennsylvania 's Democratic Gov . Ed Rendell . He 's having a conversation near the lectern about President-elect Barack Obama 's choice for to lead the Homeland Security Department , Arizona Gov . Janet Napolitano . Here is what Rendell said about Napolitano : . Rendell : Janet 's perfect for that job . Because for that job , you have to have no life . Janet has no family . Perfect . She can devote , literally , 19-20 hours a day to it . Wow . Now , I 'm sure Gov . Napolitano has many qualifications for the job beyond having no family , and therefore the ability to devote 20 hours a day to the job . Watch Campbell Brown 's commentary » . But it is fascinating to me that that is the quality being highlighted here as so perfect . C'mon . Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff is married with two grown children . His predecessor , Tom Ridge , had a family . Anybody remember a debate about whether they would have trouble balancing the demands of work and family ? Now , I am a fan of Gov . Rendell . He has been on this show many times . I like him for his candor . In our attempts to cut through the bull , he delivers far less bull than most politicians . But it is his frankness here that raises so many questions . 1 . If a man had been Obama 's choice for the job , would having a family or not having a family ever even have been an issue ? Would it have ever prompted a comment ? Probably not . We all know the assumption tends to be that with a man , there is almost always a wife in the wings managing those family concerns . 2 . As a woman , hearing this , it is hard not to wonder if we are counted out for certain jobs , certain opportunities , because we do have a family or because we are in our child-bearing years . Are we ? It is a fair question . 3 . If you are a childless , single woman with suspicions that you get stuck working holidays , weekends and the more burdensome shifts more often than your colleagues with families , are those suspicions well-founded ? Probably so . Is there an assumption that if you 're family-free then you have no life ? By some , yes . Again Gov . Rendell , I do n't mean to rake you over the coals . I know what you meant to say . But your comments do perpetuate stereotypes that put us in boxes , both mothers and single women . In government and beyond , men have been given the benefit of the doubt when it comes to striking the right work-life balance . Women are owed the same consideration . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Campbell Brown .
Rendell says choice for Homeland Security good because she has `` no life '' Brown : Janet Napolitano has many qualifications beyond having no family . Nobody would have said the same about a male candidate , Brown says . Women deserve same treatment as men on work-life issues , she says .