My first job after I received my masters degree in social work and public administration was the executive director of the West Virginia Women's Commission. I read, researched and studied a great deal about the issues facing women in the state of West Virginia. The Institute for Women's Policy Research compiles information for each state regarding political participation, violence against women, employment and earnings, social and economic autonomy and health and wellbeing. WV fell at the bottom in most of the categories compared to other states. A common theme seemed to keep appearing for me. The more education or training a woman receives the greater the chances that she will lead a healthy and productive life. However, it goes back to the end of the pyramid. It goes back to basic needs. Many women, not just in WV, but other states take on traditional roles and traditional jobs. These are typically in the service industry. Many of these women do not have the means to leave an abusive relationship or take care of their families on their own because they are not making enough money. In fact, WV got an F in employment and earnings and an F in social and economic autonomy. This also means women are the least likely to vote, less likely to work as professionals or managers and have lowest levels of educational attainment in the country.
This also brings me back to my first blog about engaging girls in STEM programs, which stands for science, technology, engineering and math. As mentioned in an earlier blog, many girls start to lose interest in math and science about the age of 12. At that point, make-up, gossip and boys become more important. Continuing to engage girls in these types of programs are very important. For example, The Girl Scouts have launched STEM programs all over the United States and are incorporating these types of activities into their curriculum.
While I was at the Boys & Girls Club, I developed a summer program that incorporated field trips to science museums, guest speakers and various other activities. My favorite day entailed having a full day of STEM activities. I had contacted West Virginia University regarding a program they had put together for girls in another part of the state and they came to us. The children were exposed to geology in an outdoor activity, they learned about robots and engineering while being entertained by a real robot and engaged in many other activities to stimulate their minds. I will never forget what one of the Club kids said to me that day. It was just after the day was wrapping up. The girl that approached me was from a struggling family that appreciated the Club and the support that we could provide to two very hard working parents. Neither of her parents had gone to college. She came up to me and told me how much she enjoyed the day and that when she grew up that she wanted to be an engineer. The whole day was worth that one comment.
I would like to map out two different lives for her. Let's say that she never was exposed to any type of STEM activities because studies show women are encouraged to take on traditional roles in and out of the home. She takes a job making $20,000 a year and gets married at the age of 21. She immediately has two children. Her husband leaves her and the children. How will she make it? Will she work two or three jobs or go from relationship to relationship trying to find someone to help take care of her and the children? The second life involves her going to a community college for the first two years of school and applies and is accepted to a four year university. She graduates with an engineering degree and finds a job out of college. She meets her husband at a conference and they have two children around the age of 30. Which situation sounds better to you?
Another opportunity I had to influence young women, was at a workshop that I created and implemented in southern WV while at the WV Women's Commission. I chose southern WV because there is a great deal of poverty, unemployment and service jobs in that region. Many of these young girls were not thinking of continuing education or paying bills, but marriage and babies. I brought in many vendors and guest speakers to introduce them to jobs where they could make more money and have a promising career with advancement potential. There were vendors from truck driver schools to chemical engineering companies. I had a speaker talk about how she lost her husband in her early 20's and how she had to learn how to take care of herself. She had no idea that life would throw her a curve ball and she realized that she needed to make sure that she could always take care of herself.
Women in nontraditional jobs are faced with many obstacles and many of them have to do with how they are accepted in those roles. There is sexual harassment in the work place as well as many not accepting women, and that includes other women, in these roles. Women need to have access to classes and counselors on how to deal with this type of environment in order to prepare them for what could be.
My sister-in-law is a petroleum engineer. She started out in the field and found that she was the only woman on site for many jobs. Not only that, but she was the boss. She got push back at times, but she has a very thick skin. She stood her ground and to this day during meetings with a table full of men, she will stand up for what is right for her profession. She is smart and she is good at her job. She supports herself, owns her own home, travels with friends to exotic places and has a great boyfriend. She got all of this by getting an education and advancing quickly up the ladder in a field that is dominated by men. She will always be able to take care of herself and she really enjoys her work. Why would we not want that for our daughters and mothers?
Below is a great link to information and statistics on nontraditional jobs and how there are very few women in these types of careers.
http://www.wowonline.org/documents/Whatisanontraditionaljob_002.pdf
Alison's 11 Ways to Find a Nontraditional Job
1) Visit the local community college and find out about their two year programs. Many community colleges partner with the businesses in the area to help provide the skills that company needs.
2) Expose your daughter to STEM activities. Below is a link to the program the Girl Scouts implement. http://www.wowonline.org/documents/Whatisanontraditionaljob_002.pdf
3) Research four year colleges in your area and visit the campus. Explore financial aid and scholarship opportunities while visiting. There are trained people there that can help walk you through the process.
4) You are never too advanced in age to step out of your box and change your life. Many women go back to school at various stages in life. While visiting a campus ask about nontraditional student support or the possibility of meeting others that are going back to school later in life. There are night classes, online classes, and many other ways to go to school and work.
5) Make sure you are involved with the finances in your home. You need to be educated on what bills are coming and going. Take an active role and be a true partner to your significant other.
6) When your daughter is in high school, start talking about what it means to pay bills. Have her get a part time job and have her pay for her own cell phone or car insurance. She needs to understand the value of a $1.
7) When your daughter is considering what she wants to do after high school, sit her down and show her the cost of living. Help her understand that what career she chooses will have a lot to do with her independence. Research careers and show her what she would expect to make in her profession. Also, there is information on what careers will be more in demand in the future. Make sure she sees what the future could possibly hold for her.
8) Before you get married, make sure you know your husbands feelings on traditional roles of man and woman. If he expects you to stay home with the children and cook every night than that probably will not change after you say "I do."
9) If your daughter does decide to go to a four year college and she graduates and is still pondering on the future, have her research graduate schools. Education is the key to advancement and knowledge. We all know that knowledge is power.
10) There is nothing wrong with a liberal arts degree, but make sure you know what kind of job that you can get with a philosophy degree. Have a plan on what is going to happen after college.
11) If you are in an abusive relationship or are working two or three jobs to support your family, there is a way out. However, you have to take the first step. There are many support systems out there to help women and girls become the best they can be in life. Ask someone you trust for help or look up your local domestic violence shelter phone number and make the call.
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