Network TV news anchor Matt Lauer faced internet ire on Thursday after he let slip what was termed to be a 'sexist' question while interviewing GM CEO Mary Barra.

In December, General Motors (GM) named Mary Barra CEO, making her the first female CEO the company has ever had. Barra is also the first woman in the world to run a global car company.

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In the live interview on the Today Show, Lauer posed the following question:

"You're a mom, I mentioned, two kids. You said in an interview not long ago that your kids told you they're going to hold you accountable for one job and that is being a mom.

"Given the pressures of this job at General Motors, can you do both well?"

The question sparked outrage as Lauer, who is a father of three children, hasn't seen himself inhibited by his job to perform well as a father, nor vice versa.

The news anchor has travelled to countless locations in the world, and also hosted the Sochi Olympics in Russia.

Matt defended himself saying that he would have posed the same question to a male CEO, but it appears that few are willing to buy it.

As Justin Hyde of Yahoo, who has covered the automotive industry for 15 years, noted, "All previous GM CEOs that I've known had children," yet "I can recall only a couple of occasions where they were ever asked how they balanced the roles of father and executive; it was more often them who brought it up in small talk about what was going on in their lives outside the company."

Some are arguing that women tend to face this line of questioning all too often, especially when they hold high-profile jobs like Mary Barra. Bryce Covert from Think Progress noted that Sarah Palin, who has five children, was criticized in regards to this, while Barack Obama, who has two, has rarely had to deal with criticism regarding his ability to be a good father and a politician. 

TagsMatt Lauer, interview, GM, CEO, sexist, question