A Look Back at Personal History

Last night I turned on Public Television and got caught. They are in the midst of the funding drive, usually one of those times when they show some of their more popular programs, and they were showing a show called "Makers". I don't know why I had never seen this one before, but I was truly hooked. "Makers" is a three-hour program about the history of the Women's movement. Now many of you who read my blog and daily post are young - born in 1980 or later. But those of us who are older remember the various fights for equality that occupied the 1960's and 1970's, among which were racial equality and sexual equality.

Did you know that airline stewardesses could only work until
they were 32 years old? After that age they were considered
too old and unattractive to be employed in that position.

I wish this was an unusual ad for the 1950's/1960's, but
it was actually fairly common. Women were expected
to be subservient to men and were also expected to
like it and buy into that image.

I was involved in the Women's Liberation movement, a member of NOW (National Organization of Women) and a subscriber to MS Magazine. I attended rallies, listened to speakers (even one magical night when Gloria Steinem spoke at my college) and fought hard for the right to have a meaningful career with reasonable pay and expectations of job advancement.

Gloria Steinem was the perfect spokesperson at the perfect time.
Beautiful, articular, and well educated, she took the movement
one step farther and was key to the success.

This was Gloria Steinem's first poster and it was beautiful
in its simplicity and staging.

Although women in World War II took up the jobs that men left behind as they joined the military and the war, when they returned from the European and Pacific theatres, the men picked up their hammers and wrenches again and the women returned to their homes. Throughout the 1950's and into the 1960's the primary purpose for women attending college was to obtain their MRS degree. Their BA or BS was considered secondary. After marriage (often while they were still in college) they were expected to stay at home, give birth to and raise the children, and be the perfect 'Holly Homemaker' for their husbands to return home to each night. Many women were happy in that role, but all too many felt that the world had suddenly been shut away from them and that they ossified in their new roles.

Apparently we could only do it while the men were away....

Things like spousal abuse were never discussed, indeed they were shoved under the carpet and simply didn't exist in the 'real world'. Jobs outside of the home, women handling financial responsibility of any kind, women in any corporate positions - they were more than rare. Into this vacuum came Betty Friedan and her book "The Feminine Mystique", first published in 1963. Suddenly someone had put the words of frustration and emptiness onto pages. If I had asked who of my mother's generation had read this book, I'm fairly sure it would have been almost 100% of my mother's female friends. At this time Help Wanted ads were separated into "Help Wanted - Men" and "Help Wanted - Female". Those jobs available for women were generally low-paying secretarial or waitress jobs with little or no chance of advancement. Into this came Betty Friedan followed later by Gloria Steinem and the voices of women were raised in joint concert to improve their futures and their choices.

Such a small thing - just a book. But it inspired
a generation of women and is still held in
high regard, even today.

I couldn't turn away from the television last night as I watched this. I even ordered the DVD because I want to see all three hours of the show. I remember those days and I'm so proud of what we accomplished. Today's women have a world of opportunities open in front of them. There are still glass ceilings. There are still challenges and issues to be faced, fought and conquered. But the world of fifty years ago was far different than the world of today and I was a small part of that. I'm very proud of my generation and my sisters in the Women's Liberation movement.