I suspect that the current debates and policy changes concerning women’s rights must be especially troubling for the women of my generation – the baby boomers. They remember the struggles of their mothers and grandmothers to stop abusive treatments, unequal opportunities, the lack of access, sexual harassment, sexual assault, gender stereotypes, and unequal pay. Moreover, they remember their own struggles against these forms of discrimination: They remember when the career fields available to women were limited to the types of jobs that were labeled “women’s work.” They remember the days when scholarships, grants, and other programs that could enable women to enter the professional fields did not exist. They remember the days before Title IX and other programs aimed at providing girls/women with the opportunities to have sport programs comparable to those of the boys/men. These struggles are fresh in their minds. They can recall the days when engineer, mechanic, construction worker, real estate developer, doctor, lawyer, corporate executive, business owner, senator, governor . . . were considered to be “men’s work.” They can recall the days when men-only golf courses and male sport clubs were used to deny women access to the social and business networks necessary for advancing their careers. Additionally, they remember the despicable social treatment of women: They can recall the recent past when sexual assault and sexual harassment were simply dismissed as “boys being boys.” They also have memories of the recent past when spousal abuse (mental and physical) was a husband’s right.
Most importantly, however, women baby boomers appear mindful of two important facts: First, despite the gains women have made in recent years, they still remain huge numbers of hurdles for women to overcome. They include equity in pay, more rigorous appearance standards, and perhaps the most important hurdle women are facing – the double bind of oppression, which tells working women, “You need to stay home, take care of your family, and raise your children,” while at the same time it tells stay-home moms, “You need to leave your home and get a day job.” Of course in today’s American society, most women are doing both. They are performing the jobs of "working women," and "stay-home moms." Most do not have a choice – especially single mothers who are the primary caregivers, and mothers whose spouses have lost their jobs or were forced to take pay-cuts.
And finally, women baby boomers are keenly aware that some Americans (mostly men) are working vigilantly to turn-back the clock. They believe that a woman’s place is in the home, where she should perform her duties in strict obedience to her husband.
I am praying that women remember that they are the largest voting block. They control their own destiny. I hope they keep moving the clock forward: The future of all women -- including my daughter and my grand daughter depends on it, so does the future of the United States!
By
James A. Porter
