Women's Rights

When my mother married in 1940, she lost her job. According to her boss, she had a husband to support her. She went on to start her own direct mail business with cloth toys made by friends and neighbors to her design. Later she had a clothing business done on a party plan. Her final career was journalist, one of three women, one of whom was in charge of the women pages, the other who was a rough and tumble journalist.

In 1960 my world history teacher told me women belonged in the home, because otherwise there was a good chance the children would be juvenile delinquents. My mother worked, I wasn't a delinquent.

When my husband and I separated, I needed a car to get to work. The bank where three generations of my family had done business turned me down. They said divorcing women were unstable. My husband had no problem getting credit there.

When my best friend with excellent credit married a man with terrible credit, the bank cancelled her credit card.

When I became pregnant in 1968 my boss seriously considered firing me rather than have a pregnant woman in the office. He decided to keep me. I returned to work after the baby was born because my husband had left me, but he made it clear, it was not that he approved but that I was working was better than being on welfare. 

Another job, sleeping with the boss was expected. Fortunately he was replaced before I was called on. It wasn't for that reason he was terminated. His performance was terrible.

In another company, the head of finance thought job duties included the right to feel his staff's breasts. I will give the company credit. He was fired when one employee went screaming, literally, to human resources.

I went for a job interview and my potential boss told me how he expected his pencils sharpened every morning. I concluded the interview.

In the 1990s in Switzerland I was told by one company that I would be perfect for the job except I was too old and a woman. I could have changed my sex not my age.

At another organization where I worked, a woman who was hired as head of engineering, was given a smaller officer than her predecessor because the secretary general thought the male engineers would be upset if a woman's office was bigger than theirs. She found a job at almost double the money, the next week. When I took over a department the same man expressed doubt I could handle a staff of five. I told him that previously I had had five direct reports and shared responsibilities for a staff of 250, double what he was responsible. He told me he liked my perfume in response.

When I told one boss that I set my watch a few minutes early to never be late, he said with a sneer "just like a woman." I thanked him and said, I didn't want to think like a man.

An ad in the Tribune of Geneva for a personal assistant listed bust size as a criteria along with computer skills. 

One of the first women up for president of Switzerland was judged by her clothes and blond hair. Another woman was selected, but she was dowdy. Now they have had many women, an improvement.

One of the few advantages I've had as a woman was when they needed a woman, but my

To live when I lived has given me advantages my sex has not had in most of human history, but there is still an undercurrent. We are not equal.

The death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg brings home the fight that women have had to be treated equally. My tribulations were minor compared to many. RBG kept after her other justices to look beyond their own prejudices. 

It was RBG and other women who made my life easier by banging on doors until they opened.