Comments on Jerri Bird- Laura Ann

I really enjoyed hearing Jerri Bird's experiences last week. It was really interesting to hear her experiences of being around the world. I am really interested in traveling to the middle east, but I am not sure if I would actually want to live in the middle east. I would really love to attend one of the tour dates of Jerusalem Women Speak. Ms. Bird's experiences of living in Saudi Arabia because she described them so well. It was interesting to hear about how things had changed from the first time that she lived there. It was also encouraging to hear about how women there have decided to pursue education and are being treated somewhat equally. I love that Ms. Bird felt so inspired by the women in Jerusalem to begin this tour about peace.

Part of our proposal

For the homemaker part of our project I will be researching how advertisements portray women. I will be working in conjunction with Sarah Iglesias to find how the portrayal of women in the home and the office has changed from the past to the present. I am going to find articles and book sections that show how the trend of devaluing women has stayed the same, but also has improved. We are going to have several examples of commercials and advertisements that show how women in the past were only homemakers and mothers. We will have several commercials and advertisements that show how women today are portrayed as only homemakers and mothers but also as real human beings who are also valued in the workplace. We will use Closing the Leadership Gap as one of our sources for our project. We will also be taking excerpts from several journals and books. Please see our works sited page.

"Adclassix.Com". 2007. (Wednesday October 31, 2007). <www.adclassix.com>.

"Cadillac.Com". 2007. Wednesday October 31, 2007. <http://www.cadillac.com/cadillacjsp/footer/downloads.jsp>.

"Classic Tv Ads". 2007. Wednesday October 31, 2007. <www.classictvads.com>.

"Creative Pro". 2007. (Wednesday October 31, 2007). <www.creativepro.com>.

Jacobsen, Michael F. and Mazur, Laurie Anne. "Sexism and Sexuality in Advertising." Marketing Madness: A Survival Guide for a Consumer Society. Boulder: Westview Press, 1995.

Komives, Susan R.; Lucas, Nance; McMahon, Timothy R. Exploring Leadership. 2nd ed. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2007.

Wilson, Katrina. "Media Know All". 2005. Wednesday October 31, 2007 2007. <http://www.mediaknowall.com/index.html>.

Wilson, Marie C. Closing the Leadership Gap. New York: Penguin Group, 2004.

Wolf, Naomi. The Beauty Myth. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, Inc., 1991.

Wood, Julia T. Gender Representation: Communication, Gender, and Culture. Wadsworth Publishing Company, 2004.

Jerri Bird Sarah I

I believe in what everyone has said about Jerri Bird. She was an excellent speaker and she kept in captured the whole way through. I was nice to hear what she witness over seas and get their point of view on how they see American women. I believe in what those women see when they look at American women as sex models. Its true every where you look you see women half naked advertising music videos, clothes, or lingerie. Women have been only seen as the sex models since the beginning of time. I don't think women will change that because with out women advertising the music CD will not be bought, or the amazing looking car with the women in the bikini on the hood of the car. Men look at women as being the sex models. I really enjoyed her coming and talking to the class. Thank you for that experience.

Household Advertisement (Sarah I)

I found numerous of advertisement and it is all advertise by women. Women do all the cleaning in the house and know even more out of the house.
Women advertising vacuums
cooking supplies(ovens)
cleaning the stove
ironing
cleaning the bathroom
cleaning the kitchen and trash can that opens with your foot
doing the laundry
using a washer machine
on Housekeeping Magazines from 1910 till know
advertising a bucket for better cleaning
no more mopping on your hands and feet use a mop
I never saw a man advertising anything in the home. Women were seen as the household wife that did all the cleaning, cooking, and taking care of the children.

Jerri Bird (Shannon)

It has been interesting to hear the different ways in which each of the guest speakers who have visited our class have become interested in leadership and in the idea of being leaders themselves. Laura Liswood described her "shower question" where she thought about what it would be like to have a woman president. Panny Rhodes explained how she was one of the only women in her engineering field and how that affected her work. Jean Cunningham expressed how she never really saw herself as a leader until Metro Richmond Leadership drafted her to run for outgoing representative Doug Wilder’s seat. And last week, Jerri Bird described how she became interested in the leadership of Saudi women after living in Saudi Arabia for ten years while her husband was in the foreign services. Each of these women have had such tremendous experiences with their leadership and listening to their stories is so inspirational.

When Jerri Bird was talking about the organization that she runs with Saudi women in the United States, I was reminded of something that our first guest speaker, Mary Jo Larson, said. Larson advised us to consciously try to find out what is going on with other people and other cultures around the world. She told us that this would give us the information we needed to come back and question our own system. Doesn’t it seem like this is what Jerri Bird did with Partners for Peace? She lived in a handful of Middle Eastern countries for a good portion of her life, and when she came back to the United States she realized that Saudi women were not receiving the sort of media coverage that they needed to share their stories. She started Partners for Peace after educating herself about another part of the world and after noticing that there was a problem that was not being broached.

There was an interesting article in yesterday’s Style & Arts section of The Washington Post called "Touching Up (and On) Feminist Roots." It talks about the Wack! exhibit at the National Museum of Women in the Arts and then it also talks about Hillary Clinton and how she doesn’t just want women to vote for her because she’s a woman—she wants them to vote for her because she’s the best candidate.

Link to the article: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/26/AR2007102600462.html

Jerri Byrd

I know it's a little early but I wanted to write about Jerri Byrd while her presentation is still fresh in my mind. I thought she was amazing and even though she may not have been as funny or as engaging as Panny and Jean or Laura, she had a very unique perspective on women in leadership roles. I think because of her age she views leadership a lot lot LOT differently than we do as teenagers and young twenty-somethings in the world today. I couldn't believe it when she said that they didn't even have TV when she was growing up and I really liked what she had to say about her Husband's tenure in the foreign services, especially when she referred to it as such a partnership. She often said when "we" were in the foreign services which makes me believe that she considered herself to be just as much involved in the process as her husband and that is just amazing. I find it so inspiring to listen to the speakers that we have in class because even though they are from a completely different generation than I, a generation that as Jerri pointed out gave them three career options, they still managed to come out as strong and influential leaders. I am excited to be a leader in the world today, and I feel like doors are flung open to me everywhere, however it's interesting to reflect about the kind of leader that I would have become if I didn't feel this way. I don't know if I have the courage to stand up to that kind of barrier and overcome it and I have a deep deep admiration for these women who did just that.

Part 1

For me, part one of Komkives really conveyed this idea of a fluid leader. What I mean by this, is a person that truly understands that it is the communities with which they are involved that shape their position as leader. That one couldn't exist without the other, and along this theme is strength in delegation. As a few of you ladies mentioned, the absolute importance of knowing your strengths/weaknesses and teaming up with people who compliment you.
I have to say, that while reading this section, I began to think about my own orientation towards leadership, and began to realize that I associate a fair amount of 'being in control' to being a leader. The more I'm reading and analyzing this material, it's becoming clear that perhaps I should really examine my intention behind being a leader. I can't imagine that I would be very effective or approachable as a leader if my main concern was being in control.
So I'm starting to reshape my definition as to what a leader is. At this point it seems that a good definition of a leader for me is someone who is great at organizing. (I realize that of course this is not the only quality a leader must have, but I'm trying to challenge my previously held beliefs about leadership by introspection, and simplification.)

Guest Speakers, Sec 1 KLM, Laura Ann

Hey hey!!

I really LOVED the speakers! They were both really inspiring! Although I was a little sad when one of them (Jean I think) said to not tell people that you want to be a Senator or Governor or anything like that because... that is what I want to do! But, it's okay because they had a lot of really great advice! I love that they were both passionate about their jobs and helping the community. I liked how Jean said to be prepared to play the cards that you are dealt. She was deff not ready for her husband to die, or to take on a political position, or to be a single mother, but instead of dwelling on the bad she turned it around and made something good out of it. I like that Panny said to be prepared to take some bashing- which is so true. Movements dont happen when people are polite, they happen when people who are passionate about something strive to make things happen- strive to make a difference which will piss some people off.

The first part of this book begins to give the steps that you need to take to become an effective leader. It points out that there are new ways of leadership and that leadership is always changing. The chapter talks about followership and how to become an effective group member. The leadership process is not about things- it is about people.

Ads for the presentation - homemaker

So, this ad, I thought, was perfect for the homemaker. Here we have a perfectly happy woman taking a break from her day - having tea & cookies or whatever. With her iron sitting just so next to her - which is obviously what she's taking a break from.
I'm still working on finding a specific quote for this one...but, obviously that won't be hard. I wanted to find one from a different refrence though, so we could mix it up a bit.

Ads for the presentation - sex appeal

So, here one of the ads that I found, below is a similar ad that I think we could use with this one. The first is showing that beautiful women (star ballerina's) can get guys. The second as is obviously showing that men have to be the hero to get beautiful women. Basially, just furthering the stereotypes - or perhaps making them. These ads were from 1955.

I can't remember which ads I was supposed to look for & which Alli was going to - but I found a ton, so I just did both.

For these ads, I think we could refrence Wilson, from chapter 7. Here she talks about Barbie. She mentions unrealistic body images. Which I definitly think the ballerina portrays that. Also, on page 123, she quotes the NY Times - "'Companies rush to create emotional relationships...centered on idealized notions of how their bodies should look & what they should buy...'"

Komives 1 (Katie L.N.)

The first section of Komives basically focused on who is a leader and what is a leader. Some ideas the authors presented that I liked are:

"'leadership is not something a leader possesses so much as a process involving followership' [and] followership is really leadership in action among people in the group."(p 13) This is definitely something I've always believed and also one of the main points Christine (the woman I interviewed) stressed. We have to remember to be a leader, people choose to follow - that's an active process not passive.

"'Public leadership does not engage followers; rather, it involves collaboration, audiences, and other self-organized groups...effective leaders are forced to become 'leader-followers' simultaneously. [I]t is shared at different times by different people.'"(p 16) I thought this was a good point. Again, stressing the importance of followership. But, also that a leader needs to know when to step aside because someone can do better or enact more change or inspire more. Furthermore, this in not a bad thing, it's knowing your strengths and weaknesses, like Shannon had pointed out in class.

"'...[l]eadership means different things to different people.'"(p 35)

"'Leadership is a process in response to a situational need for change facilitated by a vision and tangible action motivating others to the achievement of that vision.'" (p 52) To me this is the point of leaders & leadership. We follow certain leaders because we believe they would do the best, at that time, to enact the changes which are perceived to be needed. Whether the change or vision is positive or negative, people will follow someone who presents an issue they believe in.

"'Competent, confident leaders tolerate honest mistakes that are not the result of negligence. A leader who sets a standard of ＆zero defects, no mistakes' is also saying, 'Don't take any chances.'" (p 77-78) So often people think that you have to be perfect in order to be "good," at anything. But, mistakes are essential to learning and improving yourself and things around you.
The last point is about competition & collaboration, which the authors discussed as a process of relational leadership. Whether competing to outdo yourself or another, Americans are always trying to be the best. I am the same way in many things (or maybe all!) For me though, I am generally trying to outdo myself. It should always be better than last time - whether it's a presentation, homework assignment, cooking (because I love to cook) or something to do with work. I wonder what it is that makes so many people feel they have to be perfect. I don't feel I can't take chances, but definitely am disappointed when I mess up.

FOLGERS
"In this mile-long series of commercials for Folgers Coffee, the story was always the same - the wife is terrible at making coffee, and the husband sure lets her know it. Perhaps this was the true catalyst of the womens' lib movement of the 60s! We have Folgers Coffee to blame... sexist to the last drop."



CHATTY CATHY


BARBIE
Listen to the words in this one!

Guest Speakers & Part I (Shannon)

I really enjoyed the guest speakers from last week—especially Laura Liswood. I loved her analogy of the elephant (the man) and the mouse (the woman) and how the mouse must know everything about the elephant and all other mice, while the elephant only really has to know about elephants. I also thought it was interesting how she got the class involved when we had been quite unresponsive and then made the point that everyone she had called on had something good to say even though they hadn’t raised their hands. It just demonstrates how women are socialized to observe and listen to others and also to mask any sense of assertiveness that they might have…

Liswood also made a nice connection to part I of Exploring Leadership when she said that the ultimate role of leaders is to change things, but that making change is only dared by a few. Komives, Lucas, and McMahon emphasize over and over that the relational model of leadership is the process of getting people together to accomplish positive change. I thought it was funny that Liswood compared this to observing the process that a crowd goes through for a standing ovation. She said that the first group jumps up, the second group follows, and the third gets up because they can’t see the stage. This is so true! The first group to stand gets up so immediately that it looks like they didn’t really even have to think about standing, the second group gets up because they’re following along with the first group, and then the third group just seems apathetic about the whole idea. This relates to leadership so well, and I’m sure we’ve all worked with groups that we can look back on and figure out who fell into which group of "standers"... :)

Jean Cunningham was interesting to listen to as well—she seems like such an amazing woman. I liked when she said to "never declare that you think you’re a leader because if you’re truly a leader you will emerge." I completely agree with this statement and I’ve noticed that sometimes the people who are the best leaders are those who do unexpectedly emerge from the crowd. They don’t necessarily establish that they want power right off the bat and that is what makes them so good. This is one of the reasons why I like how the Exploring Leadership book exchanges "followers" for "participants." The word "follower" implies that those who have not established a leadership role within the group can’t think for themselves and are just doing whatever the person in power tells them to do. The word "participant," on the other hand, makes it seem more possible for everyone to feel empowered and for everyone to have a role in the leadership that is taking place.

Feeling so inspired!

I would just like to say that I have been feeling so fantastically inspired by the interview presentations given last week!! The theme that I took away from most of the interviews and the advice given by the women leaders was, "Let your passions guide you." I'm thinking that this is going to be one of the most challenging and rewarding times for me-the discovering of what my passions are and how I want to utilize those in a career.
On another note... This whole exploration of women and sexuality in the media has been very helpful and eye-opening for me. I grew up with a mother who loved me and did the very best she could with the resources she had. However, one thing that never changed was her dissatisfaction with herself. She was never happy with how she looked. I wish that I could post a picture of her on here, because she is probably one of the most beautiful women I have ever met. As much as I wish I could say that her constant self-dissatisfaction didn't have an effect on me, it did.
Up until taking this class actually I've struggled with body and self-esteem issues. I think that this group project and exploring women's portrayal in the media and advertisements, is going to be wonderful for me in the sense that I'll really be able to question these false, overly-high expectations of beauty that I feel.

Interview Stories and Komives III

I really enjoyed the first few interview stories in class today. I think my favorite was the woman who works in the white house. It was really interesting to me to see women with that kind of power in the "most important" house in America! Also, I'm pretty glad to have mine out of the way, as well as glad that I think it went pretty well.
Komives is such a dense book I have some issues writing about it in this blog. I thought that part III was insightful if a little dull. The authors talked about how leaders need confidence to succeed and I believe this is pretty true. My favorite quote from the section was this. "strength is not in the individuals, but in the team" I think that quote really speaks to what leadership means to me. Leadership and group dynamics are never really any stronger than their weakest link. This is important to remember in any kind of leadership situation.
I also thought the section about group dynamics was really interesting. I liked reading about the different stages of group development. Forming, Storming, Norming, and Performing are important steps in group formation and it was sort of neat to actually see a name put to that.

Speaking of Dove ads....

I just got off the phone with my dad and he said that he is going to talk to the lady who he worked with whose daughter did the dove commercial.. he said that he thinks that she lives in DC.... keep your fingers crossed!

Transportation Magazine

The following is an excerpt from the July 1943 issue of Transportation Magazine. This was quite serious at its time and written for male supervisors of women in the work force during World War II - a mere 58 years ago! Obviously, the intent was not to be "funny," but by today's standards, this is hilarious!

For those of you with efficiency issues, pay attention to #8.

There is no longer any question whether transit companies should hire women for jobs formerly held by men. The draft and manpower shortage has settled that point. The important things now are to select the most efficient women available and how to use them to the best advantage.

Here are eleven helpful tips on the subject:

1. Pick young married women. They usually have more of a sense of responsibility than their unmarried sisters. They are less likely to be flirtatious. They need the work, or they would not be doing it. They still have the pep and interest to work hard and to deal with the public efficiently.

2. When you have to use older women, try to get ones who have worked outside the home at some time in their lives. Older women who have never contacted the public have a hard time adapting themselves and are inclined to be cantankerous and fussy. It is always well to impress upon older women, the importance of friendliness and courtesy.

3. General experience indicates that "husky" girls - those who are just a little on the heavy side - are more even-tempered and efficient than their underweight sisters.

4. Retain a physician to give each woman you hire a special physical examination - one covering female conditions. This step not only protects the property against the possibilities of lawsuit, but also reveals whether the employee-to-be has any female weaknesses that would make her mentally or physically unfit for the job.

5. Stress, at the outset, the importance of time; the fact that a minute or two lost here and there makes serious inroads on schedules. Until this point is gotten across, service is likely to be slowed up.

6. Give the female employee a definite daylong schedule of duties so that they will keep busy without bothering the management for instructions every few minutes. Numerous properties say that women make excellent workers when they have their jobs cut out for them, but that they lack initiative in finding work themselves.

7. Whenever possible, let the inside employee change from one job to another at some time during the day. Women are inclined to be less nervous and happier with change.

8. Give every girl an adequate number of rest periods during the day. You have to make some allowances for feminine psychology. A girl has more confidence and is more efficient if she can keep her hair tidied, apply fresh lipstick and wash her hands several times a day.

9. Be tactful when issuing instructions or in making criticisms. Women are often sensitive; they cannot shrug off harsh words the way men do. Never ridicule a woman - it breaks her spirit and cuts off her efficiency.

10. Be reasonably considerate about using strong language around women. Even though a girl's husband or father may swear vociferously, she will grow to dislike a place of business where she hears too much of this.

11. Get enough size variety in operator's uniforms so that each girl can have a proper fit. This point cannot be stressed too much in keeping women happy.

New Amazing Ad by Dove!!

You all have to watch this! It is being put out by the Dove Self-Esteem Fund and it is great! I was actually looking for the one called "Evolution" that I was talking about at our meeting today, but then I stumbled across this one which could be better! It really portrays the emphasis that is placed on women's appearance and bodies along with the possible objectification that this leads to...

Here's the link: http://www.campaignforrealbeauty.com/dsef07/t5.aspx?id=7373&filmno=0

And you can watch the "Evolution" one as well on the same page--just click on the link. :)

See you all tomorrow...

Today's Meeting

For next Wednesday have 1 ad and 1 reference!

Here are some helpful websites:
classictvads.com
genderads.com
vh1mystery.com

Things to look up:
Killing Us Softly 3

Some videos I found:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=BrGgg6r9YyI
http://youtube.com/watch?v=CZAA8hLutjs
http://youtube.com/watch?v=H5ro68Xs4Lc
http://youtube.com/watch?v=jNFXvUxLXU0
http://youtube.com/watch?v=e3N_skYSGoY
http://youtube.com/watch?v=9t0z04Qz61Q
http://youtube.com/watch?v=C7143sc_HbU
http://youtube.com/watch?v=_FpyGwP3yzE
http://youtube.com/watch?v=uq3fTXvCkS0


Thanks,
LA

Komives III (Katie L.N)

While reading this book, I just picked out a few quotes that stuck out to me, to discuss. I found this to be easiest since there is so much information...
When talking about Creative Conflict, the authors inserted a quote that I thought was good advice for not just leaders but for everyone. The quote: "...'Find the truth in what you oppose; find the fault in what you espouse!'"(p 230) I think in doing this, a person will be able to understand others better & therefore be a better person, not just leader.
In the chapter about communities I kept thinking that even the solo person, or the loner, is part of the community - even when they may not want to be or think they are not. And that is just what a community it - that loner is an essential part of the community. On page 289 the author said, "[a] person can lead an isolated life while surrounded by people..." While this is not the ideal situation, and most people would likely get more out of life if they did not isolate themselves, it is a reality.
There's not much I need to say about this quote, it tends to speak for itself. "Building community is creating a feel of 'we' out of lots of "I's""
The last thing that stuck out for me was from chapter 10. The author said, "[b]eing right can mean that others never have the right answer or approach."(p 313) I am one of many who likes to be right, all the time. While I do try to learn from my mistakes & admit when I am wrong, it's hard to do. What the authors said makes me look at it from the "other person's" perspective. I never considered that someone might feel that just because I am right it means they are wrong, or my way is better. But, I guess, that is essentially what it is and probably makes the other person feel unimportant.

Interview Stories and Part III (Shannon)

One thing that really stood out to me last week while I was listening to the interview stories presentations was that nearly all of the women leaders we were introduced to did not view themselves as leaders. Do you all think this is because of gender roles in our society and the way that women are not traditionally viewed as leaders? Do you think women are afraid of looking too ambitious or too confident like Marie Wilson continuously suggested in "Closing the Leadership Gap?" I just thought this was really interesting to observe in terms of what we have learned about and discussed in this class so far…

There were some interesting suggestions that Part III of the "Exploring Leadership" book gave to help groups work through conflicts and to make sure that members get the most out of their group experience. I have been in some nightmarish group situations in the past where the work load was totally uneven and unfair. I never really knew how to handle those kinds of situations effectively and I feel like the part about thinking of groups as communities (chapter nine) may have helped. I’m not sure if this would work as well in group scenarios at the undergrad level as it would at the organizational level. It’s hard to get people to feel a sense of commitment and identity to a group project or course that they really don’t care about…

I also enjoyed reading chapter ten about the renewal process and I thought that a lot of what was suggested could be applied to some of the principles and ideas that NCC promotes in its learning communities. I liked the idea that "the group dynamic changes in amazing ways once we quit trying to lay blame" and also that we need to share responsibility for our successes as well as for our losses (KLM 314). This is a popular idea in NCC learning communities especially when giving group presentations. We are encouraged to say things like "what WE found in our research was such and such…" rather than "what I found in MY research was such and such…" While this can be incredibly hard to do—especially if you’re the only one doing the work—it really is essential to the practice of shared responsibility, and I know how frustrating it can be for one person in the group to use "I/my" instead of "we" because it makes you feel like they are taking credit for everything.

KLM III, Laura Ann

• Forming, storming, norming and performing- sounds like a really good idea but I don't know if groups really use this formula. I think that most groups do this on their own- not necessarily with such boundaries as this chapter points out.
• Roles- a lot of times in groups that we form for school activities we don't have set roles. Usually we just do what needs to get done. I like that this chapter maps out what each role or positions descriptions are though.
• Creative conflict- usually the conflict that the groups I have been in tend to be bad- not constructive or creative. Chart 7.3- usually the conflict lies on the liability side..not usually the advantages side. Although, now that I have read this I can try and turn conflict into an advantage.
• Decision making- I am glad that we all decided that vote is the best way to make our groups decision because the book points out that having one person make decisions for the group can cause controversy.
• Organizational culture- how valuable is a companies "hero?" I don't understand how someone can become so valued that they are virtually immortal.
  
• Community- the stronger the community the stronger the organization
• The renewal process- continuous renewal is necessary in groups and orgs in order to renew values- deep change
• Empowerment- you can empower those that you trust- if you don't trust someone it is hard to know if they have the best interest in mind
• Understanding change- change is not always a bad thing- sometimes change is needed to revitalize an org or company- without changing a bad thing to a good thing you will be taking the path towards downfall
• Civic engagement- in order to be productive you have to become engaged- we have the responsibility to create a better future
  
• Joining with others- find something that you think needs to be fixed or addressed, find people that are also affected by it and inspire and empower them
  

This book is hard to blog about- I feel like I am just somewhat summarizing this section.

Labyrinth and Pipeline Articles

I really enjoyed reading both of these articles. I appreciated what I perceived as the author's intention in the pipeline article. It seemed that the pipeline article was geared at rallying women and inspiring them. I have to admit, I definitely felt inspired after reading it too! Immediately afterwards, I read the Labyrinth article. I have to say that I felt that this article had much more weight than the first. It addressed some of the real issues and complexities that we face as both emerging and current women leaders.
I wonder about the subtlety that exists between being communal and agentic. Is it possible for a woman to embody those more relational tendencies and also at the same time, to be assertive and more self-interested? I think it's a good question to ask. After reading Marietta Nien-hwa Cheng's quote, about deepening her voice I was at first a little upset because it seemed like she was attempting to take on more male characteristics (a deeper voice) in order to be seen and respected as a leader. I went back and re-read that section a few times and realized that her 'adjustment' with her voice could be perceived as an honest acknowledgment of an existing power-imbalance, and changing the tone of her voice was an attempt to create a more level 'playing field.'

Pipeline & Labyrinth (Katie L.N)

Hawkins, in her article Operation Pipeline, points out the "no-problem problem." (86) For me this point, that people not thinking there is a problem and therefore doing nothing about it, is one that can't be stressed enough. Time and again I hear comments about women's role in society, which lead to believe they feel women have gone as far as they can & are in every way equal to men. In order to really fix the problem people's mind-sets have to change. We need a shift in perception and sadly it's not just for men, but women as well.
In Women and the Labyrinth of Leadership the authors, Eagly and Carli, assert that if employers can change their focus from the class ceiling problem to a Labyrinth problem, and then change their practices women will become equal. However much that will help, I think the problem will not go away until everyone's perception changes. If employers make these changes but a majority of the population is not on board, and do not agree that the changes are needed (and face the issue head-on) how much good can it really do?

Pipeline and Labyrinth, Laura Ann

I really liked how the articles analyzed the role of women both in the workplace and in the home. The labyrinth article pointed out that women in the work place put in work hours both at home and at work but only earned 81 cents for every $1 that a man made. It is really annoying to read that because everyone knows that women put in more time emotionally then men do but we still get the crappy end of the deal. The article also said that "marriage and parenthood are associated with higher wages for men but not for women. " I would think that if anyone is going to get paid more for that it should be the women. That is like what Shannon said about her mom- having kids is a good thing! Why dont people get that? The pipeline article was interesting. It pointed out that "even women with the talent, drive, and moxie to clear every hurdle dont see themselves as political victors." I think that is really sad because men go out there knowing that they might not be the right guy for the job but they have the courage to just do it. I hope that eventually we can have some women that are more courageous to fill positions, it even says "midlife women are great candidates: they have rich skills, comfort, in their own skin and good stories to tell."

Our preliminary proposal

The topic that we have decided to research is "How advertisements portray women to the American public." We have split our group into 3 mini-groups in order to split up the work. The first group will research the history of advertisements particularly dealing with sex appeal and the role of women in society. This group will be made up of Katie and Alli. The second group will research how advertisements portray women by using sex appeal. This group will be made up of Shannon and Danielle. The third group will research how advertisements portray women in society. This group will be composed of Laura Ann and Kamryn. We will try to incorporate some sort of interactive activity with the presentation.

Motherhood as a Barrier to Women's Leadership (Shannon)

Both of the articles for next week talk about how motherhood often affects the pathway to leadership for many women. In “Women and the Labyrinth of Leadership,” Eagly and Carli explain that “decision makers often assume that mothers have domestic responsibilities that make it inappropriate to promote them to demanding positions” (Eagly and Carli 68). Why aren’t the children considered for men who are applying for higher positions? Shouldn’t fathers be just as important in children’s lives as mothers?

In “Operation Pipeline,” Hawkins asserts the fact that family still “remains an issue for women on the campaign trail. In trainings, women rehearse how to handle questions about whether they’re neglecting husbands or children” (Hawkins 90). Do people ever ask men if they’re neglecting their wife and kids? Does this idea even cross peoples’ minds? Probably not. Our current way of thinking about what is and is not acceptable for mothers and fathers needs some serious readjusting.

A couple of years ago, my mom applied for an upper management position at her company that she has been at for a good 23 or so years. During the interview, she was asked a question about how she would deal with difficult people and/or situations if she happened to get the position. In her answer, my mom said something about how she had raised three kids on her own and felt that she would be able to deal with any situation that presented itself. Immediately following the interview, the job candidates were given feedback and my mom was told that her biggest mistake was in saying (or admitting?!) that she was a mother.

While I was totally disgusted when my mom told me this story, it makes sense considering society’s current conceptions about the roles of men and women and what we expect of them. In Closing the Leadership Gap, Marie Wilson argues that “motherhood, often used as an excuse to keep us down, is actually one of the best sources of our power” (Wilson 71). Though it is one of our best sources of power, I guess we are just not allowed to talk about it yet as my mom mistakenly did in her interview…

meeting this wednesday

I just wanted to make sure I have this right....So our meeting time is Wednesday and we'll be meeting this week in the JC, right? Alli said that she isn't available until 10:15, so does 10:30 work, to give her a few minutes to get there?
I'll be there by 10:15 to get us a table - and I'll be in the area by the elevators --so just look for me.
Also, should we just plan on meeting every Wednesday, from now on? And if we don't have anything important we can cancel it - but this way we won't have conflicts in our schedules when we do need to meet.

Meeting times...

So here's the deal...for the schedules that I have (4 out of 6), Wednesday between 10am and 12:30pm works the best. And, is basically the only time that was posted where more than 2 people were available. However, I don't think it works for Kamryn.
Other times are (though, from what I have, these times only work for 2 people) -
Tuesday - 10am - 12pm
Wednesday - 10am - 2:30pm
Thursday - 9am - class
Friday - 9am - 12:30

Were people willing to meet on the weekend? Or have other times that are free even if just for a 1/2 hour?

Group meeting time

Hey All~
I'm just reminding you that I am still waiting on some peoples' schedules (so we can set a meeting time). If you could get them to me today, that would be great. So far it's looking like Wednesday would be the best time... I have class tonight, so when I get home I will finish this up, so hopefully you can get your times listed by then. But, if not I will just post what the best times are, with what I have, and we can go from there.

NMWA & Chapter 9 and the Afterword

National Museum of Women in the Arts

I really enjoyed the museum on Thursday and I am looking forward to taking a trip back on my own to see more of the exhibit that I wasn’t able to see during our visit. Like Katie, I felt myself looking at some of the pieces that the docent was not talking about—she seemed to be avoiding some of the more “controversial” pieces and those that may have warranted more explanation and discussion. I did, however, like the section of the exhibit that put women at their place in history. I missed the name of the woman who redid Jean-Auguste Dominique Ingres’ painting called “The Turkish Bath,” but I found all of the paintings in that little room to be quite empowering. It seems like much of the history that we are taught in this part of the world ignores the fact that women had anything to do with where we currently are now—all of the important things have been accomplished by men alone. I felt that that specific section of the exhibit gave women their chance to be seen in places like the front lines of the revolution, which is a place where many people had probably never pictured women before.

Chapter 9 and the Afterword

The way that Marie Wilson ended her book with a collection of quotations from powerful women was very inspiring and moving. She said that the power of what these women said came from their interconnections, which is something that I definitely agree with.

One of the quotes that really spoke to the themes of this class was the one by Phoebe Eng on page 154. She said, “…I’ve learned that once people get used to the image of power embodied in different kinds of people, change begins…consistent presence is key.” As long as men AND women continue to see women taking on leadership roles and constantly being in the spotlight, I think it is very true that they will become more used to and comfortable with the idea of women as leaders. Consistent presence is key because if women leaders slip out of the spotlight and out of attention it seems like we would have to begin all over again. We can’t give up.

I liked the quotes that centered on Eleanor Roosevelt’s “Do something to scare yourself today” statement and the idea of taking risks and getting out of your comfort zone. This is something I really push myself to do—especially when it comes to my shyness and my discomfort with public speaking. Cathy Salser’s quote was perfect for this: “If you struggle with shyness…keep reaching beyond what is comfortable, and surround yourself with a few key women who will cheer you on, listen to the ups and downs, and encourage you toward your greatest dreams for leadership…” (Wilson 158). I have gotten in the habit of taking on public speaking opportunities (voluntarily speaking in class, participating in panel discussions, etc.) that I would normally run away from—and I even have people who know me well (and some who share my “fear!”) that I know I can go to for encouragement and also to share progress with.

Imagine how much growth women as a whole would experience if we all pushed ourselves to do one thing that scared us every day. I think we can make it happen if we all stick together and encourage each other along the way…