Feisty Side of Fifty/Baby Boomer Women

Baby Boomer Women Changed the World…or Did We?!

If you’re a woman past the age of fifty, you can remember back when the world was a very different place. Members of the female gender were confined to a limited set of society’s guidelines—and, at least outwardly, they conformed. The ladies of the 1950s were expected to thrive in their predestined roles and want for nothing outside of being considered the perfect homemaker. After all, as women, any of life’s aspirations should and would be met by being a wife and mother.

And, if the pearl and petticoat clad ladies of the time did venture into the working world, it was a temporary journey at best. As soon as they landed a man, they either quit or were forced out by their employers. Why waste a perfectly good position on a woman when a man could do a much better job and provide for his family as well? Yes, the bacon was earned by the “head of the household” and the “little woman” was destined to be the one to fry it up in the pan… not to mention serve it to the king of the castle, do the dishes, and clean up the kitchen afterwards!

Then along we came—the mouthy maidens of the sixties and seventies who weren’t about to accept the restrictions placed upon our mothers. It took years of abuse (verbal and otherwise) for us to achieve what so many young women of today take for granted. Yet, despite our many efforts, it still isn’t a perfect world for those of us blessed with the double X chromosome.

I interviewed Susan Douglas, Ph.D., author of Where the Girls Are, The Mommy Myth and, most recently. Enlightened Sexism: The Seductive Message that Feminism’s Work is Done on Feisty Side of Fifty Radio. Your time will be well spent by taking the brief fifteen minutes to hear her present a number of startling facts.

Although TV and movies often present women as tough talking leaders in law, medicine, and the boardroom, the truth is another story:

In 2007, the median annual income for 43% of women was $27,000.
A year out of college, women earn 80 percent of what men make. But ten years later, that number drops to 69 percent!
The top three jobs for women in 2007 were (in order) secretaries, nurses, and teachers. (WOW and I thought we’d moved way past the holy trinity of occupations!)
The US ranks 69^th in the world in terms of electing woman as national legislatures.
Our country is the only industrialized country (out of 163) that doesn’t offer paid maternity leave.

Obviously, there is still much work to be done. So let’s make sure the younger women in our lives are aware of our history and understand our struggles to achieve a parity of rights with men. Let them know how difficult it was for us to make those first few tentative cracks in the glass ceiling and how many of us suffered derision, dirty tricks, and worse from the “good ol’ boys.”

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure it out—the guys didn’t want to share the goodies (power, prestige, money, etc.) with us. And, from the looks of the above statistics, the young and female of today still have a way to go in the gender-equality department.

So do yourselves, your daughters, and granddaughters a favor and pick up a copy of Susan’s book. Besides presenting some critical facts, it’s a great read—full of humor and, yes, a bit of sarcasm. But the message is important: it’s time to truly do something about the social inequities we’ve battled for decades. Let’s make certain we finally fulfill our generation’s calling to leave the world a better place for men and for women!

If you or a boomer friend is unemployed and looking for work, please check out Land the Job You Love: 10 Surefire Strategies for Jobseekers Over 50. It’s the only book around that provides midlife jobseekers with an easy-to-follow, step-by-step guide to successfully navigate today’s competitive job market. Don’t be left in the dust—set yourself apart with an up-to-date resume that rocks, learn how to build critical and strategic alliances within your targeted companies, and ace the interview with skill and style. Packed with insider tips and techniques, this book is guaranteed to put your search on overdrive and turn you into the candidate of choice!