Friday, March 27, 2009

Old Stereotypes Die Hard


In honor of Women’s History Month a lot of publications and websites have come out with articles about the history of the women’s movement and how far we’ve come. And though in some areas that might be true, many women feel we’ve got a long way to go to truly reach gender equality here in the United States and especially in other parts of the world. The current women’s movement is not just about laws and fair pay but about changing a biased attitude that has been around far too long.

Attitudes like the ones expressed in an article in the Vatican’s newspaper titled, “The washing machine and the emancipation of women: put in the powder, close the lid and relax." The article explains how the washing machine has done more for the women’s movement than any other invention in recent history. Including the birth control pill.

Read the rest of my post at WomenCount...

Thursday, March 26, 2009

IOWA'S STAND FOR GENDER EQUALITY

It looks like if you’re a woman who wants to break into politics, Iowa might just be the place to start. Last Wednesday, Iowa made a bold stand against gender bias by requiring "gender equality" on all local boards and commissions appointed by city councils, school boards and county boards of supervisors.

The Iowa House passed the bill in a 71 to 27 vote. If the bill becomes law, "gender equity" will be required on all local boards and commissions starting January 1, 2012. Women make up 51% of the population in Iowa, yet only 18% percent of current members of four key local boards and commissions are women.

Read the rest of my latest post on WomenCount...

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

A Single Woman

There are so many women that deserve recognition during Women’s History Month (as well as the rest of the year), but Jeanette Rankin’s place in that history is pivotal.

Jeanette Pickering Rankin was the first woman elected to the United States House of Representatives and the first female member of the Congress. She was known as the Lady of the House.

Rankin was a pacifist. She voted against both WWI and WWII, the only person to do the latter.

Read the Rest of My Post at WomenCount's Blog

Friday, March 20, 2009

My Hometown

This morning I heard Brue Springsteen’s My Hometown on the radio. It made me stop and get all weepy & nostalgic, which I think many Springsteen songs do for a lot of us. I’ve written a ton about my hometown, this place I grew up in, over at JamsBio. But it's been awhile.

Lately I've been thinking a lot about my hometown, maybe because my son turns 6 this weekend. Six years old. Wow. It truly goes by in a blink doesn’t it? This morning as I ran a couple of errands and saw the gray skies blanketing the foothills of my hometown, I felt my heart swell with love. Those foothills have surrounded me my entire life. And for as many of my teenage years that were spent plotting my ultimate escape of this boring little NorCal town, there have been even more years spent trying to stay here. As the economy continues to struggle so do we, but we keep fighting to stay here.

My dad was an air force brat. He was born in Germany and moved around constantly while he was growing up. When he had his own kids he decided that he would not do that to them. He wanted his kids to grow up in one place and one place only. So even when times were tough he and my mom managed to stay here. My dad would always find work even when times were tough and there was no work to be found. He managed to keep us grounded, to keep us in one place. And all these years later, I’m still here. And I can’t imagine raising my kids anywhere else.

Not too long ago my son and I were driving through downtown and he said to me, “Mom, I love our town.” I smiled and said to him, “Me too kiddo, me too.”