Blog archive
April 2024
Stimulated by "Caste"
04/22/2024
Tulsa reparations, Religion and Politics
04/09/2024
March 2024
Trumps War with Black Women
03/31/2024
Addressing The Needs of Older Adults Through Pasadena Village
03/25/2024
Coming Soon: More Resources for Older Americans, Online and in Person
03/25/2024
Community Building Locally and Nationally
03/25/2024
Preparing for the Future with Ready or Not
03/25/2024
Volunteering is at The Heart of the Village
03/25/2024
Women's Liberation: Then and Now
03/25/2024
Writing Memoirs Together
03/25/2024
Current Views on Current Events
03/20/2024
Unchained
03/18/2024
Rumr of Humor issue # 2409
03/10/2024
Blacks Portrayed by European Artists
03/03/2024
Rumor of Humor #2408
03/03/2024
February 2024
Caring for Ourselves and Each Other
02/27/2024
Doug Colliflower Honored
02/27/2024
Great Decisions Connects Us to the Worldwide Community
02/27/2024
Letter from the President
02/27/2024
Pasadena Village's Impact
02/27/2024
The Power of Touch
02/27/2024
Villages as a New Approach to Aging
02/27/2024
Addressing Gang Violence in Pasadena-Altadena
02/21/2024
Rumor of Humor Issue 2407
02/19/2024
Thank You For Caring.
02/12/2024
Rumor of Humor 2405
02/11/2024
Curve Balls
02/10/2024
Sylvan Lane
02/10/2024
Rumor of Humor 2404
02/09/2024
Larry Duplechan, Blacks in Film
02/03/2024
January 2024
Pasadena Village Joins Community Partners in Vaccination Campaign
01/29/2024
Rumor of Humor #2403
01/28/2024
Pasadena Village Joins Two Healthy Aging Resource Projects
01/25/2024
Decluttering: Do It Now
01/24/2024
Village Volunteers Contribute to the Huntington Magic
01/24/2024
Villagers Creating Community
01/24/2024
Villagers Reflect on Black History Month
01/24/2024
Walk With Ease, 2024
01/24/2024
Wide Ranging Discussion on Current Issues
01/22/2024
Wide Ranging Discussion on Current Issues
01/22/2024
Rumor of Humor # 2402
01/21/2024
Rumor of Humor # 2401
01/15/2024
Re- Entry Programs, a Personal Experience
01/08/2024
Women's Liberation: Then and Now
By Karen BagnardPosted: 03/25/2024
So many things come to mind when I think back to the “Women’s Liberation Movement.” There was so much that came back to me all at once. This was a time that all of us in the “elder” age group remember in varying ways.
In the ’60s I was working for the Pasadena Star-News in the National Advertising Department. We only wore dresses, suits or skirts to work. There were a couple of women in the sales department who did wear pants. They were looked upon as radical.
After applying for a new position in the department, I was told I could not have it: “You don’t need the job. You have a husband.” I was disappointed but I accepted it. That’s just how things were then.
Soon women were wearing pants to work … although we were often restricted to pant-suits. It was a great change. “Hot pants” came on the scene quickly after that. While they didn’t last long, they were fun for a time.
Out in the field, up on the pole
One of our Villagers, Patti La Marr, was working for Pacific Bell. In the early ’70s she found herself in the forefront of a changing work environment for women.
Patti remembers: “In the early ’70s AT&T was required to develop an affirmative action program which led to women going into jobs that had been filled by men only. I took advantage of that program and ventured into formerly male-dominated positions.
Patti working on telephone pole
I was working in the dial tone switch room at the telephone company and the PBX technicians were telling me what a great job PBX installation was. But if I wanted that job, I had to be a station installer first.
At the time Pacbell was encouraging women to apply for outside jobs that were considered non-traditional for women. The telephone company offered an ‘on your own time’ training class. We met for six Saturdays. We did warm-up exercises, crawled under structures, carried and extended 30-foot ladders against a building and against a wire strand, secured ourselves to the strand and, of course, learned to climb a telephone pole: All of the things one would do if they were out in the field installing phones.
The photo is of me climbing a telephone pole with gaff hooks. It was a great experience, although I chose a different route and stayed in the switching side (dial tone equipment) of the telephony. Many fond memories of my time at Pacific Bell.”
Breaking credit barriers
When my first husband and I divorced in 1972, we had excellent credit. After the divorce, I could not get a credit card for myself or apply for any kind of a loan. He had all the credit he wanted. JC Penney and Sears Roebuck were two of the first retailers to offer credit to women. At least I could buy my daughter school clothes.
In 1974 I became one of the first women in Altadena to purchase a home with an FHA loan. A friend in real estate told me, “we are going to find you a home.” That almost didn’t seem possible as a single woman with a small child, as I couldn’t find anyone who would rent to me. I finally moved in with my brother. While pickin’s were slim for homes I could afford with my meager income, I did find a place. Little did I realize at age 29 that this home would become filled with rich memories and become the most valuable investment of my life! This month I have been in my home for 50 years.
Ask a guy out? Ask a guy to dance? What a concept! But we did it. We had given ourselves “permission” to learn what it was like to take that risk. Guys had been taking this risk for years. Now it was our turn. It was fun and most guys liked it.
Forward or backward?
So where are we now? How much progress have we made in the last 50-plus years? Women still earn far less than men do for equal work. Gender pay-gap statistics show that women earn about 82% of what men do in the same work. Globally the wage gap is about 77% for women, with even less for women with children.
Roe v. Wade passed in 1973, allowing women legal and safe abortions. Now, it has been overturned, 50 years later. In my opinion, this is probably the most significant step backward yet. We Village women are of an age to remember the world when women and teen girls could not access safe abortions in this country. Abortions were risky on every level … unless your family had money and could get you to a country that had safe, legal abortions. That left most of us out. It’s frightening to think we are back there.
Are women as well-represented in government and leadership positions as they need to be? Not yet. It’s changing but we still have a long way to go. Equal representation in leadership is the key to equality. This is true for women as well as people of color and the LGBTQ+ community. There has to be equality from the top down. We still have a patriarchal society that fights hard against that.
We have come a long way, indeed; however, we have more work to do. Changes come through elections, activism, taking a stand for justice in ALL situations and teaching our young people that diversity, equity and inclusion makes our whole country stronger. It is essential to a democracy.