The First Woman Manager

Brynna Tebbe

The First Woman Manager

Dear Society,

Everyday walking into work as an independent, hardworking, and strong woman is hard to do. Working at a grocery store as a stock clerk is considered a “man’s job.”

What did you do wrong to be lifting all that heavy stuff?

– Just because I am a woman and a stock clerk does not mean I did something wrong to have this job.

When we try to fight back against such pathetic and putrid behavior we get judgment thrown down on us. There are men in this world that believe that women are to be the housewives and shouldn’t have a job. Older men are stuck in this way of thinking, because in their time that is what most women agreed to. It is unbelievable that they think the times haven’t changed. They think that because they are old that it is okay to say whatever is on their mind.

Shouldn’t a guy be helping you lift all that milk?

– No it is my job to stock the milk. What does it surprise you that a girl can be strong enough to do a man’s job? Asshole.

We need to realize that the violence and harassment of women in the workplace is a big problem. According to new poll data from the Center for American Progress and Elle Magazine released on Monday, August 9 2013, “Nearly 30 percent of women report experiencing discrimination in the workplace.” On a daily basis woman are objectified and harassed based on what they wear and how they act, etc. We cannot walk down the street without being made uncomfortable by some man calling out to us or staring us down.

How come they made you come out here to get these carts?

– (After giving him a dirty look, and a fake smile I say politely) No sir I like doing the carts. I do get paid to do so.

To live in a world where females annually make less than a male is depressing. No matter how much we fight this “patriarchal society” that we live in,  we continue to be oppressed by it. Our world is full of hypocritical men who say that women should be equal to them, but they then act like they are superior to us.

Why are you filling the milk, I only ever see the guys filling it?

– I am here every day sir, I fill this cooler more than the other stock boys.

It is questions like these that I put up with on a daily basis at work. I am so sick of hearing these questions every day. I struggled for 6 months at my current workplace to get to where I am at on the stock schedule. Right now I am always considered for extra hours and am asked to stay late almost every day. My boss has even offered me a manager’s position that is currently being processed. If I get this position not only will I have been the first woman to get on stock in our store, but I will also be the first woman to be manager.

The name stock boy is given to store clerks who are generally male and who stock the shelves. I got a lot of slack from my coworkers when I was put on the stock schedule. A rumor went around that because I was dating the evening manager I was getting special treatment. That rumor was false, it was the complete opposite. Yes I am dating him, but we never work together. Then one of my so called friends who was dating one of the stock boys spread a rumor that I was “blowing” the main store manager. It must be difficult to believe that a woman can do more work than all of the stock guys combined.

Feeling Less than Adequate

Patriarchal rule is what our country believes is right. We have grown up to believe that men are the ones who rule society and are the strong ones. I am living proof that this particular societal belief is wrong. I have overcome some of the toughest things that have left me battered and bruised inside.

I grew up with a mother who would constantly tell me I had to be better, and a step-father who beat me. This caused me to begin to feel less than myself when I was around everyone. I tried to end my life on several occasions due to flashbacks of molestation and beating. My pig of a stepfather was the first man to lay a hand on me and since that first day I have been nothing but fragile. I only wish I would have been courageous enough to stand up for myself, I was just so young.

A Mothers role

My mother chose to send me to a boarding school when I was fourteen. She believed this school would be better than my other school. I was sent away and this made me feel abandoned. I know now that her intentions were pure, and that she only wanted the best for me. While at Milton Hershey School, I grew to become independent and to make my own decisions. This school is a tough place to get used to, with all of their rules and expectations. I eventually graduated after five years and became the first in my family to go to college.

Working Hard

In one eight hour shift at work I put out about 300 pieces of freight, stock the milk, iced tea, eggs, and butter multiple times a day. All of this heavy lifting and cold weather leaves my hands all cut up and my body bruised. I work hard to pay all of my bills and to prove that I am good enough to please my mother. She never believed me when I told her about the molestation, all she said was that it was my fault. You are not good enough. An A isn’t good, you should have an A+. Do better. You are nothing. Be better. Do better. Be better. Do better.

Strong

I am a woman with determination and drive. No one can take this away from me, not even my step-father. It is because of all of the tribulations in my life that I have been able to overcome all that life has thrown at me. I am no longer that fragile little girl that was beaten and bruised. I persevered through all the pain to become the woman I am today. No matter how much hurt I have endured, I still believe that it can make us or break us. In my case I made a decision and that was to rise above it all and to become the person I am today. I am beautiful. I am strong. I am better.

Sincerely,

A Woman.

 

The Media’s War on Women Politicians: The Negative Portrayal of Women Politicians

How Negative Media Coverage Affects the Whole Nation
If women officials continue not to run for political offices because of the negative publicity regarding women politicians politics will continue to be male dominated and more women will feel discouraged to enter politics. If women continue to feel discouraged numbers will either stay stagnant or decrease. In regards to the world, America lacks in female government officials. On the list of worldwide rankings of women in the national legislature the United States is ranked 91 of all countries. Whereas the international average of 19.3% of women politicians, the United States average of women politicians is a mere 16.9% (Lawless and Fox). This makes our nation appear behind the times in comparison with other nations including developing nations. It may even appear to other countries that our nation is sexist and stuck in the past. By electing more women to the federal government, the American people would be electing more perceptions and insight into political issues. Men and women often differ in modes of thinking, and there are many issues the government is facing that a different perspective could help through decision-making.

Without women in the house, presidency, etc. half of the population is affected because men are not voting on issues that affect women and families. Not voting on women’s issues affects the whole nation. When discussing women’s reproductive rights and equal pay equal work many people think this only affects women, but that is not true. Families, which often consist of men, are affected because of high costs for childcare. Women’s access to more reproductive rights also affects men because these laws affect their wives and daughters. Equal pay, equal work affects the whole nation because if women made more they could put more into the economy by being able to afford life’s necessities instead of living below the poverty line. With more women in office, the legislation regarding women, children, low-income families, and the environment are all affected for the better.

Another reasons the low number of women in politics is so detrimental to the nation is because of the effect these numbers have on the future of the United States. David Campbell and Christina Wolbrecht in their article, “See Jane Run” note that, “visibility increases the likelihood that the presence of women will be noted and thus potentially shape girls’ interests” (Campbell and Wolbrecht 235). If more women run, young girls will take notice and could possibly choose to enter politics when they grow up. The government needs more women. Having more women means that more of the country is represented by our democracy. Clearly, women can be just as effective leaders as men and the country could use more qualified women officials in the federal government. An increase in the number of women politicians would have a positive outcome that would benefit the people of the United States.

Photo Credit/Caitlin Salovich

How More Women in Office Would and Does Affect the Nation for the Better

• Women would combat “anti-woman legislation” — this legislation includes cutting education, health and nutrition services to low-income women and their families (Heuvel).
• Women are more likely to vote on issues like equal pay equal work to support the women in our nation.
• Women, regardless of party, vote more consistently in favor of environmental protection (Volden, Wisemen, Wittmer).
• Women also vote more consistently to prioritize issues that effect families and children (Anzia and Berry).
• Women get more bills to go further through legislation. These bills are likely to be deemed important in the media (Anzia and Berry 490).
• Women representation means congressional districts will receive more federal funding. (Anzia and Berry 485)
• Women are more likely to vote for issues regarding reproductive rights (Lawless).
• Surveys have demonstrated that women of both parties are more likely than men to mention the needs of vulnerable populations when asked about the nation’s problems.

The Current Situation and The Solutions
More women are entering politics slowly but surely. Media coverage is progressing but not to where it should be. The media coverage in 2008 of women candidates was very sexist in regards to Hillary Clinton, Sarah Palin, and Nancy Pelosi. Since no women ran for president or vice president in 2012 there is less regarding recent coverage of women politicians.
By now the media and news should be free of sexist comments and gendered stereotypes. Diana Carlin and Kelly Winfrey in their article, “Have You Come a Long Way, Baby” suggest that, “One clear lesson is that the media needs to carefully examine the breadth and depth of the sexism and do more than accept rather weak apologies from major media personalities” (Carlin, Winfrey 339). Another suggestion is to have political candidates tackle sexist media in their campaigns. This would demonstrate that women are not going to back down because of sexism.

Preparing journalism and communication students to write without stereotypes and sexism while in college would also benefit women politicians. Many anchors, editors, and writers start out in college. If journalism and communications professors give clear, precise examples of sexism in the media and warn their students not to write in this manner, then these students will bring their good, unbiased views to the newsrooms. Bringing awareness to the nation of this all too common phenomenon is key to overcoming this barrier for women politicians. The nation will be better off because of the increase in women’s political participation. Hopefully, for the 2016 elections the media will be less sexist to its women candidates and more women will feel encouraged to vote and possibly even run for office.

 Works Cited

Anzia, Sarah F., and Christopher R. Berry. “The Jackie (And Jill) Robinson Effect: Why Do Congresswomen Outperform Congressmen?.” American Journal Of Political Science 55.3 (2011): 478-493. Business Source Premier. Web. 27 Oct. 2014.

Campbell, David E. and Christina Wolbrecht. 2006. “See Jane Run: Women Politicians as Role Models for Adolescents.” Journal of Politics 68(2):233-47.

Carlin, Diana B., and Kelly L. Winfrey. “Have You Come a Long Way, Baby? Hillary Clinton,  Sarah Palin, and Sexism in 2008 Campaign Coverage.” Communication Studies 60.4 (2009): 326-43. Academic Search Premier. Web. 26 Oct. 2014.

Heuvel, Katrina V. “More Women Candidates Needed to Stem Anti-woman Tide.” Washington Post. The Washington Post, 20 Aug. 2013. Web. 01 Nov. 2014.

Lawless, Jennifer L.; Fox, Richard L. “Men Rule: The Continued Under-Representation of Women in U.S. Politics,” Washington, DC: Women & Politics Institute, January 2012. <http://www.american.edu/spa/wpi/upload/2012-men-rule-report-final-web.pdf&gt;.

Volden, Craig, Alan Wiseman, and Dana Wittmer. “Women’s Issues and Their Fates in Congress.” Center for the Study of Democratic Institutions (2013): 1-40. Vanderbilt University, 2013. Web. 31 Oct. 2014.

 

Kelsey Short is a Senior, English Major at Marywood University.  She has minors in writing and history. She has a passion for books and movies. She is a lover of almost all living creatures and has been a vegetarian for 7 years. She is the one of the most indecisive person you will ever meet. One thing she has decided is that she is a feminist. Feminist Writing and Rhetoric has helped her to broaden her feminist horizon. 

Impact On My Life

March 26th, 2008 was a day that I will never forget. It was just another chilly march morning, wake up early, going to school, go to track practice, come home and start all over again the next day. Little did I know this day would impact my life. From this day alone, it made me look at life in a whole different view, and even helped me decide on my future. For these reasons and many more, I feel as though that this day alone changed my whole life.

 After school, I walked down to the track where I would practice hurdling every day. It was the event my head coach picked out for me to do because he thought I would be excellent at it I was one of the taller girls’ on my team who had long legs and was in shape. At practice the coach stressed how it was so important to really prepare and focus for the meet the next day. It was the end of practice when I told my coach I wanted to jump of 300 hundred hurdles one more time before I went home for the evening. I felt very confident after my technique was right that day at practice. I remained constant with a raw speed, proper technique and well-planned steps leading up to and between each hurdle, which allowed me to outrun other opponents. I jumped over the first and second hurdle then using proper technique to jump over the third hurdle I landed on my right ankle wrong.

In Within seconds I was on the ground and could not move even if I wanted too, which was because my ankle was in a very uncomfortable position and the unbearable pain started to race through my body. I could feel my pulse increasing and my heart was beating like if it was in my throat. I let out a huge scream everyone started to race over to me. Then someone yelled call for ambulances. I finally got to the hospital everything was happening so fast. They called the head doctor of orthopedics Dr. Dorothy to look at my x-rays the doctor came into the room to tell me my injury to my ankle was a compound fracture and broke my tibia and fiba while dislocating my ankle. He would need to put my ankle back into place then after go into surgery.

Ever since I broke my ankle and spent a few weeks in the hospital, after two surgeries and several months of physical therapy, and being told I could not play sports again. I knew I wanted to be a Nurse Anesthetist. I think it is because I was so nervous about having surgery for the first time. I asked the nurse anesthetist so many questions. Soon enough, I realized that their job was so interesting. After that, I knew my goal was to become a nurse anesthetist. I continued focusing on my goal by finding out more information while working on my graduation project. I researched the field description, career opportunities, schooling and potential income. I found out information like a CRNA is a registered nurse and advanced practice nurse who cares for a patient before, during and after a medical procedure. For my graduation project I even shadowed at Mercy hospital and had the opportunity to watch Dr. Cook perform an open-heart surgery. I knew right then after experiencing a surgery like that in real life and after gathering more information, I decide this is the major I want to choose, and I would not let anyone change my mind. I would do everything I possibly could to be a nurse anesthetist. I would strive to be an excellent student by devoting all my time to my studies so that I can become an excellent Nurse. The medical career gives me the unique opportunities.

Even though March 26, 2008 impacted my life it made me look at life in a whole different view, and even helped me decide on my future. It made me realize who I was and wanted to be. I needed to tell my personal story first just like Audre Lorde and many other feminist that need the audience to understand the background of their roots caused them to become a feminist. I believe everything happens for a reason I broke my ankle to get introduced into the health care profession setting so I would like to focus on the health care and general public audience. I’m sure many can relate. Little did I know at the time how much stereotyping and genderoles’ still is experienced in health care setting especially as a nurse. Many countries and even people in the united -states still believe science majors should only be male field. At Marywood University it is not a secret that percentage women out number the males on campus, including the science majors. In the hospital setting gender role is well known male doctors get paid more than female doctors. Male nurse anesthetists get paid more than female anesthetist. Even in nursing, which is stereotyped as female profession male’s outnumbered almost 10:1 males make more money. The average salary per year in 2011 was nearly $61,000 for a male nurse, and just $51,100 for a female nurse (http://www.advisory.com). The question I ask myself is but why are males still getting paid more than females? We both go through the same amount of time for schooling? We both learn the same amount information? We both have the same degrees? Yet females are being paid less because of their female gender. Women become feminist because of unprofessional sexist issues like this not because they are lesbians or men hatters like feminist are stereotyped so often. Women are saying enough is enough and it is about time more women are taking a powerful stance and promote equality and other serious issues that are still on arise.

The past year I have worked at Geisinger CMC as a student nurse aid. The majority of us student nurses aids are all females. I think we have two male staffs under our department. An example of gender role/ stereotyping at work I was told to go sit with a patient as a 1:1 that means they are a safety watch and needs to be watched 24/7. The supervisor called the floor on the way up to tell me to go somewhere else. This patient was a male who was being restrained, but was violent. She believed since I was a woman male student nurses aid with be better fit to handle the situation. I remember her saying he’s stronger. I thought to myself wait a minute I am trained for situations like these whether it is a male or female being violent or having behavioral issues. I work out at the gym, probably more than that male you just sent up to the room, but hey I am a women so that is stero typed that I am weak. I took a real defense to this situation because I am not weak.

 I think I always have been an active feminist without really realizing it through out the years until recently taking this class. The class has helped me establish through out the years I was a feminist when I broke my ankle and was introduced into the health care setting. I was so determined to achieve my goals no matter what would come my way. I think a feminist needs to have determination as a characteristic. I was a feminist when I needed to be strong, and be the advocate for my mother when she became ill. I was a feminist when I had to be outspoken, clear headed, and fight to stay in the nursing program because of being a point away from getting a C+ even though I had a 3.57778 average that semester. I was a feminist when my supervisor assigned me to a different assignment even though at that time I was not comfortable enough to raise my opinion and kept silence I still thought how sexist and wrong that situation was in my head. Now I am a modern feminist that wants to promote women rights. I want women to have equality. I want gender roles to no longer exist. I want women to stop being raped. I want women to live a better life in this world. I realized like many others in the past I couldn’t change these worldwide issues alone feminist need everyone to be involved.

Work Cited 

“The Advisory Board Company.” The Advisory Board Company. Web. 5 Dec. 2014. <http://www.advisory.com&gt;.

http://time.com/3181644/beyonce-reclaim-feminism-pop-star/

About the author:

Jessica is currently a senior at Marywood University in Scranton, PA. She is currently studying Nursing and a psychology minor. She will be graduating this summer and plans to move out of the area to work in a larger oncology hospital. Jessica grew up in a small town outside of Scranton, PA where she was raised by her mother and father. She went into her feminist writing class with little knowledge of what the term feminist truly meant and now believes to be an active feminist herself. She enjoys spending time with family, watching movies and being active.