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BARRIERS
Historical, contemporary issues of equality
are examined during Women's Week
Kathryn Gunn, president of the A&M chapter of
NOW and a senior political science major, said
women simply want equal pay for equal work.
. ,, . , “Women are given lots more opportunity,” Gunn
OmOIl in tne ancient said. “Still, we want to get paid.”
world led a life of
equality with the
men of the time.
Under the Babylonian Code of
Hammaurabi, women held titles
to land and could hand that
land over to their children.
Legally, 1792-50 B.C. offered equalities that
American women enjoy today.
In the past century, women have won the right
to be educated and to work outside the home.
The 1920s brought women the right to vote and
a liberation in fashion.
And up to now, women have leapt into high-
ranking jobs, economic freedoms and a voice in
the nation.
Women have more control over their health
care. And women are learning how to fight back
against domestic violence and sexual assault.
To quote Virginia Slims, “You’ve come a long
way baby.”
Miles have been crossed, but some women be
lieve many more are to come.
Salary, health care, the Equal Rights Amend
ment and attitudes about women recycle them
selves through the government and conversations
about a women’s movement.
“Woman will be dependent until
she hold a purse of her own. ”
-Elizabeth Cady Stanton
The salary that men and women rely on to sus
tain life is constantly scrutinized in the public eye.
Dr. Daniel Bomstein, an associate professor of
history, said women working through the ranks of
the job market have become more accepted and less
threatening to their male colleagues.
“Still, there’s the glass ceiling,” Bomstein said.
The glass ceiling analogy describes the barriers
women face when trying to climb the last steps on
the corporate ladder.
The analogy says that women can see the top
but run into the “glass ceiling,” or negative atti
tudes about women, when trying to get into the cor
porate upper echelon.
An article released last week by the Associated
Press showed how the glass ceiling stands strong
between women and executive positions.
The article recorded the highest paid Texas col
lege administrators. Women occupied three of the
top-dollar jobs, earning a collective $19,995 less
than the men.
“We do as much, we eat as much,
we work as much. ”
-Sojourner Truth
Many women are pushing to be treated equally
in the legal sense.
The Equal Rights Amendment, which would de
clare women legally equal to men, has been reject
ed by the government.
Women in combat became the focus of the
amendment, and it was set aside.
Gunn said that if the amendment passed, the
government would be officially saying that men
and women carry equal weight.
“Hopefully, that would force employers to pay
equally,” she said. “It shows something that’s been
right all along.”
Matthews sees the ERA in a different light.
She said people have lost their fervor for the
amendment.
“People decided that it wouldn’t make much dif
ference to pass it anyway,” Matthews said. “Chang
ing laws can only go so far.”
“When a man gets up to speak,
people listen, then look. When a
woman gets up, people look; then, if
they like what they see, they listen. ”
-Pauline Frederick
Gunn said she lives Frederick’s quote in the
classroom.
“In the class, it’s important being taken serious
ly as a female,” she said. “Male classmates some
times don’t give credibility to what I’m saying.”
Bomstein said women also carry a stereotyping
attitude about their gender.
In his class, Bomstein asked how many hus
bands would adopt the wife’s last name.
“Nothing but laughter,” he said.
Attitudes shape the roles that women take
on, and the population carries a varied view of
gender roles.
Gunn said women decide their own future.
“Whatever they want to be is the role they take
on now,” Gunn said.
The future for the women’s movement is un
certain.
Some think women will reach equality nirvana,
and others think women can look forward to a dim
future in women’s advancement.
Matthews said people seem to be discouraged
about the advancement of women.
Instead of facing the difficult issues, women and
men get stuck on trivial issues of who should open
doors for whom and who should pick up the ticket
for dinner.
“The movement of time does not always mean
going forward,” she said. “It can go away as easily
as it came.”
Page 3
Alpern teaches the significance of women leaders
"Women's
By James Francis
The Battalion
studies is an
emerging
academic
discipline
nationally."
Wi
N O AT ART!
'Aggie Bucks 1 '
3est of our abilltK
Amy Browning, The Battalion
Dr. Sara Alpern teaches courses focusing on the history of American
ivomen.
omen were admitted to
Texas A&M in 1963 on a
limited basis. By 1971, all
restrictions against them were offi
cially removed.
Dr. Sara Alpern, an associate
professor of history, is a woman
who has seen change, has been a
part of it, and now teaches others
on the subject.
Hired to teach at A&M in 1977,
Alpern considers it to be particular
ly interesting, challenging and re
warding to be one of the pioneer ing
women at the University.
At the same time that the first
women marched in the Aggie Band
and the first woman was named to
Texas A&M’s Athletic Hall of
Fame and others, Alpern fur-
-Dr. Sara Alpern thered women’s roles at A&M by
“j starting women’s studies in the
associate professor history department.
of history “Women’s studies is an emerging
7 academic discipline nationally,” she
said, “but it is especially interesting
to watch it grow here, at a universi
ty that for much of its history has
been all-male and all-military.”
Alpern said the aim of women’s
studies is to recover information in
basic aspects of life and look at it in
new ways.
She said women who were promi
nent in their time are forgotten, and
it is an important job to fill in those
empty spaces.
“It’s the dynamics of seeing tradi
tional life having a broader signifi
cance,” she said.
Alpern said the subject matter
does not just touch women, but
everyone.
“Just as women are intercon
nected with men, other women
and children, it (women’s studies)
is important in any university,”
she said.
Alpern teaches History 461, a
general study course in the history
of American women, and History
473, the history of modern Ameri
can women. *
Alpern said she wants her stu
dents to understand what barriers
women faced and the strategies
they used, with the hope of learn
ing from those mistakes to reach a
better future.
“The topics are valuable for men
and women, relevant information
for both sexes as we move into the
21st century,” she said. “I want
them to appreciate the history of
women before them of different
races, religions, classes and see the
impact of gender roles in the past
with their contributions.”
As for her professional life, in
1991, she became the first president
of the Women’s Faculty Network, an
organization with the intentions of
improving support and communica
tion through the administrative level.
Alpern has also been a mentor for
women entering the College of Lib
eral Arts, where she gives general
advice on papers and other research
on women.
Her stock of publications in
cludes work in the area of biogra
phies, 20th century United States
history and United States women’s
history with sub-specialties on
women in business, journalism and
eating disorders.
Alpern said she looks forward to
a time when being a woman will not
matter and the question of whether
a female president shall be elected
will not have to be pondered.
She also said she hopes informa
tion on women’s achievements con
tinues to grow.
“Hopefully, we won’t have to have
a Women’s Week,” Alpern said.
“There will be enough information
where that is not needed.”