March is Women's History Month

[clemsonfan]

In honor of Women's history month, I think it would be nice for people to post about women who inspired them or women who went through alot to give future generations a better life.



I am inspired the most by my maternal grandmother. She was a farm girl in rural Georgia. She was one of about 10 kids and she helped with the farm chores, housework, and raising her younger siblings. At age 14 she ran off with my grandfather (who was 19) and eloped. They went across the state line to South Carolina and got married in Anderson. She was so nervous about lying about her age (you had to be 18 to get married without your parent's permission) that she didn't leave the car. So, my grandparents had one of the earliest "drive thru weddings" with the Justice of the Peace.

After marrying, my grandparents moved to Greenville, SC and lived and worked in a mill village. My Grandmother worked very hard (10-12 hours a day) in a mill. She waited until she was 19 before she had her first child. After her first child was born, she went back to work third shift so that either her or my grandfather could watch their child.

She inspires me because she worked hard and I have never heard her complain in my entire life. It was unusual in those times for women to work like she did in a mill (it was during the Great Depression and she was a mother).

[clemsonfan]

Since it seems like I'm the only one posting in this thread so far, I thought I would post my thoughts on how far we have come and how much further we need to go.

Whenever I watch movies or tv from the 60's, 70's, or 80's it shows me just how different things were for our mothers' generation. They were around for the "hippy free love" movement, the civil rights age, and the invention of the pill. But they still had problems with climbing the career ladder, maternity leave, sexual harassment, and equality in homelife. We now have the Family Medical Leave Act, more success in climbing the ladder, sexual harassment policies, and husbands are more likely to help with housework and childrearing. We are still far from equal pay for equal work.

What are your thoughts on how far we have come and what still needs to be done?

[yvette7ica]

That awesome about your grandmother C-Fan. Great thread idea. I'm going to think about it and get back you because that's a damn good quetion that girls/women should think about.

[postfeminist]

i only have a few minutes because i have a phone interview at 3pm, but i wanted to jump in & thank clemsonfan for the great thread idea...

my maternal grandmother died in 1973, before i was born...but i do know that she had a very difficult life. her father left her mother when she & her siblings were young (he ran off to hollywood to be a movie actor). she was nearly blind, but managed to paint beautiful paintings, marry her high school sweetheart (he got kicked out of Roger Bacon so he could go to Hughes w/ her) and she raised 5 kids. she owned her own business for awhile, and worked in my grandpa's bar for years and years. she had her demons (depression, alcohol) and was openly bisexual for most of her life.

i think she ruled. i think she would have been my best friend if we could have known each other. [my family thinks i AM her...]

[clemsonfan]

Here's a really good website about women's history. Enjoy!

http://www.nwhp.org/

[postfeminist]

bump...

why is this thread not happening???

[Handy Smurf]

I'll drop a few quick words on this one
My maternal Grandmother died when I was around 12 years old. She was always someone whose strength and conviction I admired, but at that age I was just old enough to fully realize and appreciate (doesnt seem like the right word) what she was going through. The whole time she did her hardest to make it seem as if nothing was different. My Mom and her sisters and brother would help her and Grandpa out behind the scenes, but whenever I was around she was her same feisty self: Doing the cooking, trying to get you to sit and relax when something needed to be cleaned because she'd do it, and always having a smile on her face the whole time. My older sister and I were by far the oldest granchildren and I think whenever the grandkids were around, Grandma wanted more than anything to give us the impression everything was alright.
She originally had breast cancer when I was too young to remember. When it came back the second time it ravaged her body. Her own mother was still alive at the time and in her 90s. When Grandma started to take a turn for the worse, out of seemingly nowhere, great Grandma passed away. We always thought it had something to do with still being around to see her daughter go thru this that pushed great Grandma over the edge.
Grandma died a couple months later. Needless to say it was horrible watching my Mother go thru all of this. It was strange, though, Mom has always been an incredibly sensitive and emotional woman, but as the oldest in her family, I was amazed at how composed and compassionately she was able to deal with the rest of the family. I think she made it a lot easier for her brothers and sisters to deal with. At a time when she probably needed more support than at any other time in her life, she was the crutch for everyone else in her family. I saw a lot of the qualities Grandma was trying to display shine thru with my Mom during this difficult time. It has forever changed the way I view my Mom and the world in general.

[Sushi]

My mom was born in 1928, grew up with three siblings, my grandmother, and her maternal grandparents. Her father (my grandfather) was in and out of her life until she was a teenager. She said she remembered the first time she met her father--she was five. He would go off and follow the horses (horse races), worked as a union organizer (got blackballed by Republic Steel--Go Grandpa!), played minor league ball, and drank a lot. It wasn't until I was older that I realized how strange it must have been to have this alcoholic father who wasn't around when she was a little kid. (He did live with them pretty steadily when she was a teenager, but he died when mom was in her early 20s.) My grandmother was very old country and always had this air of sadness to her. I know she had a difficult life. My mom would talk about going with her mother to get government when she was like four (this was during the Depression).

When my parents got engaged, my mom was working in DC for the National Education Association and making more money than my dad. But she moved back to Youngstown, got married at 30 (which was pretty old back in the late 1950s), and proceeded to have six kids. She was a writer--my parents wrote several musicals together, which were produced in the area--and the kindest, most optimistic person I think I will ever meet. Even after my dad cheated on her multiple times and moved out the of the house, leaving her with six kids (three under the age of 18), she found a job, started working towards her BA again, and had this awesome rebirth. I think in the last 10/15 years of her life, I was able to get a glimpse of the carefree young woman she had been. It's like she started aging backwards. She was nearing 40 when she had me, so I didn't have a "young" mom as a kid. What I did have was a best friend, confident, supreme cheerleader, and amazing role model. She always had energy to listen to me or take me to the art museum or natural history museum and always encouraged me in anything I tried.

One of the things she did a lot (after my dad moved out) was have people who were on the outs come and live with us. She managed a college bookstore and we had strays come and live with us, which taught me more about charity and generosity than any I could have learned anywhere else. She was literally kind to everyone, which is something I find almost impossible to do. All my friends referred to her as "St. Marge," (and also as their second mom). When I think about all the sadness and disappointment she experienced in her life, I don't know where she found the strength and optimism to not give in to bitterness or sadness. I admire her more than I can say.

She died on March 8, 2002, so you can all raise a glass with me in her honor next Tuesday. (Forgive me if I got a little maudlin in this post--but you ask me about women who influenced me, she's the first person who comes to mind.)

[Homsar]

I'm waiting for White Male Month.
I mean, this country couldn't have been without them, right?
Right??

[ms. chevious]

i'm not related to either of the women i'm going to discuss. now, my mom DID sacrifice a lot and helped make me the strong woman i am, but after i went away to college, our lives diverged significantly and i needed to turn to other women for guidance (mom got married at 19 to my dad, who grew up down the street from her).

my college music theory prof was perhaps the biggest influence on my adult and academic development. being a strong woman in southwestern ohio is not easy, espeically in the highly misogynist miami music dept. society expects me to act like a woman (be feminine), but to succeede in an academic career, society wants me to act like a man...so, she was very helpful in confirming this socially imposed scizophrenia, letting me know it wasn't just me, but it was an experience common to women in places/positions like mine. her mentorship was both intellectual and personal, and highly valuable. i've been out of contact with her, but i think i should drop her an email, come to think of it...

my high school oboe teacher is a huge influence on my teaching style: she was causal and caring, yet authoritative -- i'm still trying to pull off that seeminly paradoxical admixture, but it is a terribly effective style...

[kate]

Although my mother, grandmothers, and aunts are all amazing women, the most inspirational woman in my life (so far) would probably be my gifted education teacher in elementary school. I was in the gifted ed program ("S.O.A.R.") from K thru 7th grades and Mrs. Nobles was always encouraging us to think for ourselves and think in creative ways. She definitely aided my creative process and taught me that anything can be solved with a little hard work and determination. She also treated all of the kids as individuals and never looked down on us, no matter what age.
She ended up retiring the summer that I moved and I hadn't talked to her since, until emailing her last week just to see how she was and to thank her for her help and kindness (and patience!) through all those years. She wrote back immediately, thanking me for thinking of her, etc. I really hope that I have another teacher like her down the road.

[SheepNutz]

From that old sketch comedy show The State: "Maybe I'm old fashioned, but women voters??? Welcome to planet Mars, I'll be over in my spaceship!"

Seriously, women kick ass, especially my girlfriend and all the redheaded ones.

[kate]

and all the redheaded ones.
hey that's me!

[IPrayForSound]

My favorite women are the ones who stay at home, raise the kids, clean up and cook my dinner like they're supposed to.

Carry on.

[kate]

My favorite women are the ones who stay at home, raise the kids, clean up and cook my dinner like they're supposed to.

Carry on.

oh i love when boys try to be funny :p

[ZLoveSarah]

As a female currently studying mathematics, I am consistently reminded of the scarcity of the female voice in this field. That's why my high school mathematics teacher was so important to me. She always supported my achievements, which gave me great confidence. I think this is key for any female wanting to become a mathematician.

All too quickly girls learn that mathematics is just for boys... through subtle hints and expressions from fellow classmates and teachers alike. This anxiety or insecurity stunts mathematical growth necessary to succeed. Fortunately she was an amazing inspiration (she was in her 70's at the time) and helped me to be proud of what I enjoyed even though I was just a girl.

[IPrayForSound]

oh i love when boys try to be funny :p
Sorry...that was meant for 2 of the girls who've already posted who know me well enough for me to make that joke.

[kate]

Sorry...that was meant for 2 of the girls who've already posted who know me well enough for me to make that joke.
hah it's okay, i assumed it was a joke in the first place

[classicgrrl]

I just can't resist......


we should all go now and pick out tank tops together.

:D

*snicker*
















*runs*

[ideoplastic]

Phase one: gender equality
Phase two: revolution
Phase three: gender neutrality


It's my belief that diversity months merely excuse incorporating visibility/appreciation themes throughout the year.

[yvette7ica]

My favorite women are the ones who stay at home, raise the kids, clean up and cook my dinner like they're supposed to.

Carry on.

Is being barefoot a prerequisite? :confused: :p

Back on topic: My mom, stepmom, and grandmothers have had the biggest impact on me. Each of them different but valuable in teaching me and influencing me to become the bitter, irritable, mouthy, cold woman I am today!

[JSpaceman]

My favorite women are the ones who stay at home, raise the kids, clean up and cook my dinner like they're supposed to.

Carry on.
You forgot to include... um, nevermind... I'll keep my mouth shut... :D

[Orville Wrong]

when is rich old fat white guy month?
We get centuries, not months.

[wombat18]

OP-ED COLUMNIST
Taming of the Shrews
By MAUREEN DOWD

New York Times: March 6, 2005

"Arabs put their women in veils. We put ours in the stocks.

Every culture has its own way of tamping down female power, be it sexual, political or financial. Americans like to see women who wear the pants be beaten up and humiliated. Afterward, in a gratifying redemption ritual, people like to see the battered women be rewarded.

That's how Hilary Swank won two Oscars. That's how Hillary Clinton won a Senate seat and a presidential front-runner spot. And that's how Martha Stewart won her own reality TV show and became a half-billion dollars richer while she was in prison.

We've come a long way, baby, from the era of witch trials."

New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/06/opinion/06dowd.html)

[Little Bit]

Happy International Women's Day everyone!

[purple_octopus]

I think this is the first year I've ever heard of "Women's History Month" or "International Women's Day". Am I alone here?

[atomikdarling]

I think this is the first year I've ever heard of "Women's History Month" or "International Women's Day". Am I alone here?

Nope. I only figured out what today was once I saw the altered "Google" logo.

[Little Bit]

The U.S. is a little behind the curve on International Women's Day. In a lot of countries it's a holiday. Here's a blurb on it's background:

International Women's Day (8 March) is an occasion marked by women's groups around the world. This date is also commemorated at the United Nations and is designated in many countries as a national holiday. When women on all continents, often divided by national boundaries and by ethnic, linguistic, cultural, economic and political differences, come together to celebrate their Day, they can look back to a tradition that represents at least nine decades of struggle for equality, justice, peace and development.

International Women's Day is the story of ordinary women as makers of history; it is rooted in the centuries-old struggle of women to participate in society on an equal footing with men. In ancient Greece, Lysistrata initiated a sexual strike against men in order to end war; during the French Revolution, Parisian women calling for "liberty, equality, fraternity" marched on Versailles to demand women's suffrage.

The idea of an International Women's Day first arose at the turn of the century, which in the industrialized world was a period of expansion and turbulence, booming population growth and radical ideologies.

[clemsonfan]

I first heard about Women's History Month in college. I was taking a US Women's History course. It was great!

[clemsonfan]

I'm currently reading America's Women: 400 Years of Dolls, Drudges, Helpmates, and Heroines by Gail Collins. It's a great book! Anyone interested in women's history will love it!