My oldest niece is going for a double major - psychology and anthropology. She's been discovering how all these other cultures that she thinks are so much better than American don't treat women very well as a whole. Often women are second, third or fourth class citizens - many times after farm animals. I remind her of how fortunate we are as women to be born in American in this time. It would be so easy to lose many of the things her generation takes for granted and that were new when I was her age.
I've been remembering how it was in the late 70's, early 80's. I remember when women were just given the right to get a mortgage or own a credit card in their own name, without having to get a father, husband or other male relative to co-sign for it.
I remember getting my first credit card. It was a Discover card because they were a new company and were taking almost everyone to get clients. I didn't get a MasterCard or Visa for years after that.
I remember how my parents forced me to take typing and shorthand in school because those were women's skills and with those skills I could always get a job as a secretary. The 3 main job positions for women then were secretary, teacher or nurse. I did not want to take anything that was considered a woman's skill. I'll admit the typing came in handy later on in life, but I've never used the shorthand.
I remember how almost none of my classmates went to college right after high school. I expect most of them went later on in life like I did. I did go for a year right after high school, my parents thought it was a waste of time for a woman to do that, and in my case at that time, they were right. I was too unfocused and didn't know what I wanted to do in life. So the year was basically wasted.
I remember how one of my girlfriends in school was taking a computer class and I thought that was the stupidest thing I ever heard. Shows how stupid I was 
I wonder if she pursued it, if so, she got in on the first wave of the computer business.
I remember getting my first job at 16 and getting paid $1.65/hr. That was a fortune to me. I worked for a lady who made ribbons for State Fairs and rodeos from her house.
I remember when I started driving at 16 gas was .35c/gal and how when I came home from college in 1980 it was .79c/gal and how outrageous we all thought that was.
I remember going to the movies almost every week in the summer and an evening movie was $1. I saw Grease 9 times one summer. I saw Smokey and the Bandit at least 3 times. I remember seeing the first Star Wars and Raiders of the Lost Ark. I remember my first R rated movie was Saturday Night Fever.
I remember when my dad would give me a $1 to go out with the teens after church on Sundays to get a coke or ice cream or something and that was more than enough.
I remember when mortgages charged 21% interest. I can't imagine how anyone paid that off. I remember when CDs paid 14% interest and you got a free crock-pot or toaster with the purchase. My first checking account paid 5 1/4% interest. I remember getting raises twice a year because of inflation.
Most of these rememberances have nothing to do with women's rights it's just thinking back to that time made me remember the other stuff.
Ah well, back to the present. My niece will learn all the things she needs to as she lives thru it and at some point she will learn to appreciate how well women have it in America vs other countries. I think as a whole we are taught to complain too much about how things aren't perfect in life instead of appreciating what we have. It's part of the ad culture we live in. Ads have to convince us there is something wrong with what we are doing now so we will buying whatever it is we are selling, so eventually we are disatisfied with everything in life, because we are constantly bomarded with negative messages.
End of lecture
This morning I went to Walgreens and got 2 jars of Jif creamy peanut butter for $2/each. I will put them aside for the next time I see my niece. They are on sale with their in-ad coupon at 2/$5 and in the Walgreens February coupon book their is a coupon for $1/2 making them $2/each. A very good price for name brand peanut butter right now. I paid using RRs from last week, so no out of pocket.
I finished reading my book Master of Dragons by Angela Knight. Paranormal - ok.
remember when
February 13th, 2012 at 10:28 pm
February 13th, 2012 at 10:51 pm 1329173467
My boss's wife and dh's aunt were both the first/only female computer programmers where they worked. I can not imagine! My field has always been so heavy in women. I frankly have never worked with many men in the first place.
I think many people are surprised to find my own mom was a stay-home mom that pretty much never worked. BUT, her mom always worked, stressed the importance of education, and my mom does have a degree. She watched all of my dad's uneducated sisters get left on by their husbands and go on welfare with several mouths to feed. IT was always clear to me that "relying on a man" was *not* an option. The women in my family were taught to take care of themselves.
February 13th, 2012 at 10:51 pm 1329173471
February 13th, 2012 at 11:33 pm 1329176000
Also thanks for the info on Jif peanut butter. I have been having a really hard time finding it for a decent price since Costco switched to Skippy and it is one of the few my son can eat with his food allergies to certain additives.
February 14th, 2012 at 02:24 am 1329186283
February 14th, 2012 at 04:28 am 1329193691
February 14th, 2012 at 04:44 am 1329194697
February 14th, 2012 at 07:41 pm 1329248504
I got my first job in a dress shop at age 12. I made $3 a day or 33 cents an hour.
Within a year, I did all the bookkeeping, cause I was so good with money and figures.
In the late 70's, I worked for a savings and loan. We had savings account, C.D.'s and mortgages. The interest on the mortgages was 9% back then. We paid 6% on savings and 8% on C.D. There was a year or two when mortgages went up to 18%, but to be truthful, hardly any body took out a mortgage then. We had to pay 16% on C.D.'s. People with money loved that!
February 14th, 2012 at 10:23 pm 1329258232
"My niece will learn all the things she needs to as she lives thru it and at some point she will learn to appreciate how well women have it in America vs other countries."
To argue this point: if those women "just appreciated what they had" because "it was better than many other countries" than nobody would challenge the status quo and things would not have changed.
We should not look to who has it worse and comfort themselves we are not them. I'm not going to be happy with toxic waste being dumped into the river near me even if I'm told that a similar river in China gets 5 times the tonnage of such waste.
We strive, and we grow, and we accomplish new things because we want things to be better. It is not a negative thing.
February 18th, 2012 at 05:46 pm 1329587207
Jerry