All of us lived through the Women’s Movement, but not all of us “joined” the Women’s Movement. Understandably, we all had different experiences during that time, and I am interested in your reflections.
How do you see a woman’s place in our world changing during your lifetime?
What impact did the Women’s Movement have on you then and how did it influence the rest of your life?
Women & Aging 
I’ll be brief. Women’s Rights took a back stage to Civil Rights in my 1960’s. First two children born. Stayed at home and ran a household. At the same time, involved in initiating children’s story hours in conjunction with a Lutheran church in South Dallas. Became aware of the often woman-dominated lifestyle in a black community. Mothers, grandmothers, aunts, even female children, shouldered much of the load of breadwinner and head of the household. They were not so much “liberated” in the sense Dot talks about and decries, as they were strong and loving. So much depends on education and, as Alice points out, all of our children need to have a level playing field. Women’s Lib was a force in our culture, but a limited and sometimes narrow-minded rumble. BTW, the “story hour” later evolved into a full scale Montessori preschool run by “real” teachers!
Maybe it’s my age: 74. I just never “worried” about the change in The Women’s Movement. Granted, I noticed it. I watched it. I thought some of the women speaking out were interesting. . .but would never want to be “best girl friends” with them. In fact my favorite “after school” activities seemed to be mainly with guys: swimming team, hiking, marathon running, etc. I did notice HEALTH. Nary an over weight member of the human race interested me as “best friend” at all. And it had nothing to do with the looks; it was the attitude about loving life & health, living life to the fullest, and. . .on yes, trying to make better grades with my two brothers than they. (They won out!)
This was an exciting time of my life. The woman’s movement opened up the world of possibilities for me and my family. I was married, a stay at home wife, with five children and active in volunteer activities. My education had stopped with 2 years of college and a dental hygine degree. Before I was married, I just prepared myself for survival in case, I had to go to work to help support the family.
I became very involved in the education of our children. My husband and I joined with some other couples and started a Montetssori pre-school. I read everything I could about early childhood education. As our older children started grade school, I recognized that their school could
use some changes. I started attending school board meetings. I then participated in a school board election and was elected to the school board. Again, I continued reading appropriate education material and my appreciation for quality education for all increased. My board peers selected me to co-chair a superintendent selection committee. This was a major project in my life as we designed a system for input from parents and faculty from every school in the district. The result was a major improvement and a superintendent that continued the improvement every year for over 10 years until a larger district recruted him for their district.
The woman’s movement helped me see that education is very important for all, not only children but also women.
While on the the school board, as the only woman, I felt constricted in some of the discussions because I felt, I could not express some of my
arguments with an appropriate economic vocabularity.
My husband and I talked about my returning to school for more education. I started with a great books group because I was afraid, I might
not be able to return to school and handle the load.
In 1976, I graduated from Lake Forest college, with a major in Local and Regional studies. I then continued my education at Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management and graduated with a Masters in Management in 1978 with a double major in marketing and hospital admistration.
While I was attending school and my children were also in school, we
had to organize maintenance of our home. All the children shared in work
and I did not have female or male jobs. My sons and daughters took time
on all household chores.
I enjoyed my family and working while married. I believe, my husband
and I strengthen each other in our life together. It helps to be retired with
a man who has a positive attitude and is very creative.
Oh dear, Alice. This is kicking the hornet’s nest. I consider the women’s movement to have corroded the American family. The movement began with demands for equal rights, equal pay, etc. To that end I watched women burn their bras, like that somehow equalized us? Bra burning just enabled the laws of gravity to kick in a lot sooner than they would have.
I watched women demand equal pay but not accept equal responsibility. For example, in public schools men broke up fights. Women didn’t. Men patrolled the dangerous spots on campus. Women didn’t. Men were incompetent if they couldn’t handle their own classroom discipline. Women could send students to the office rather than deal w problems themselves. But both male and female teacher got equal pay.
I watched young women put on power suits with the equivalent of football shoulder pads and strut into the office like they were the coach. I watched them flash leg and cleavage and then cry “sexual harassment” if they got hit on, or worse, if they didn’t get the promotion they desired.
The women’s lib movement convinced women they could have it all: the home, the job, the kids. All w/out a man. Men are now the butt of so many jokes on sit coms. Everybody Loves Raymond, where Ray, his brother, and his father were simply too stupid to be let out of the house w/out a leash, exemplifies one of the funnier sitcoms of that era. But its humor is grounded in men being insensitive oafs saved each week by their far superior wives. What a switch from the days when Lucy spent twenty-five minutes trying to fool Ricky and five minutes apologizing for her scheming ways.
Today, we glorify unwed mothers. Youtube is a cesspool of videod girl fights. Oprah publicly complains that her “vajayjay” hurts. Lady Gaga, dressed as a desecration of Lady Liberty, channels Cher and Madonna, icons from the Women’s libs era. Judge Mathis chastises “bad girls you love to hate.” Bristol Pallin is dancing her ass off as a “star” because she birthed a baby out of wedlock. Jennifer Aniston announces that men are irrelevant. And we have a new word in our lexicon for what men have become: metrosexuals. A euphemism, I think, for castrati.
If this is equality, I don’t want to be equal to men.