Women's Studies

[Wattekinson]

As a woman living in the U.S., what are some of your privileges and some of your dis-privileges? What are some of your key identities and how do they fit into society's social norms and how do they disrupt them? Also how do the intersect and disrupt each other? In my women's studies class we have to argue if women are more likely to be privileged or not. I have come up with these question to help me however I am having trouble on where to even begin on my paper.

Thank you for your time.

ANSWER: Dear Ashley:

I'd like to help you but your questions are much too broad and I also don't understand some of the things you have written.  There's no such word as "dis-privileges," so I don't know what you intend by using that.  I also don't know what you mean by privileges.  Women, to my knowledge, don't have special privileges--they are in a fight to achieve equality, not privileges.

I don't know what you mean by key identities either.  I'm a woman, a mother, a writer, a public speaker, a lawyer, a Jew, and many other things.  Is that what you mean by "key identities"?  I have no idea how that fits into society's social norms.  I don't know how one disrupts a social norm. One can refuse to comport with a social norm, but that is not disrupting it. Nor do I know how these identites intersect and disrupt each other--unless you mean the difficuly of being a career woman and having a family and other interests.  If that's what you mean, I'd suggest you say that and be specific rather than using these broad, vague terms.

If you're interested, I can send you a recent speech of mine that discusses the second wave of the women's movement, what life in the US was like before the movement, what changes have been made to date, and what problems face us in the future.  Write again if you'd like me to send that to you.

Best,

Sonia

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

I'm sorry my thoughts are all over the place. I guess what I mean by privileges is things you have access to that make life easier or less privileged people do not have. I apologize for being so vague in my questions, I was looking for general responses. I did not mean to confuse you. I am however interested in reading your speech, in hopes that that may help me in my essay.

[Hwitloc]

Dear Ashley:

I still don't understand your question about privilege and what it has to do with women and women's rights.  I think of privileged people as those with more money and don't see how that relates to women.  You don't need to answer my questions but you do need to clarify in your own mind what kind of privileges you are talking about and what they have to do with women and women's rights.

My most recent talk follows.  You are free to quote from it provided that you indicate the source, of course.

Best of luck with your paper.

Sonia

The Second Wave of the Women's Movement:  Where It’s Been, Where It’s At

Sonia Pressman Fuentes Chautauqua Institution

Chautauqua, NY

Atheneum Hotel  

Women in Crisis: The Road to Social and Economic Growth Program

Road Scholars Program

July 25, 2011   GOOD MORNING.   SOME TIME AGO, I LISTENED TO A BOOK ON TAPE CALLED FOUNDING BROTHERS BY JOSEPH ELLIS, CONTAINING STORIES ABOUT SOME OF THE GIANTS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION.  ELLIS REFERRED TO THEIR BEING “PRESENT AT THE CREATION.”   I, TOO, HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF BEING “PRESENT AT THE CREATION” -- OF THE SECOND WAVE OF THE WOMEN’S MOVEMENT.   THIS MORNING I’M GOING TO SHARE SOME OF MY EXPERIENCES WITH YOU.  I’M GOING TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT THE BEGINNING OF THE SECOND WAVE OF THE WOMEN’S MOVEMENT, MY ROLE IN IT, THE CHANGES IN OUR SOCIETY CAUSED BY THE REVOLUTION IN WOMEN’S LEGAL RIGHTS, AND THE PROBLEMS THAT CONTINUE TO FACE US BOTH IN THE U.S. AND ABROAD.  THEN WE SHOULD HAVE TIME FOR QUESTIONS AND HOPEFULLY ANSWERS.   THIS IS A MOST FITTING TIME TO BE DISCUSSING WOMEN’S RIGHTS.  ONE HUNDRED SIXTY-THREE YEARS AGO, ON JULY 19, 1848, ELIZABETH CADY STANTON, LUCRETIA MOTT, AND OTHER FEMINISTS CONVENED THE FIRST WOMEN’S RIGHTS CONVENTION IN SENECA FALLS, NEW YORK.  SEVENTY-TWO YEARS LATER, WOMEN GOT THE RIGHT TO VOTE.   FORTY YEARS LATER,  IN DECEMBER 1961, THE MODERN LEGAL REVOLUTION IN WOMEN’S RIGHTS IN THIS COUNTRY BEGAN WHEN PRESIDENT KENNEDY ESTABLISHED THE PRESIDENT'S COMMISSION ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN, WITH ELEANOR ROOSEVELT AS CHAIR, TO REVIEW, AND MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR IMPROVING, THE STATUS OF WOMEN. IN 1963, THAT COMMISSION ISSUED ITS REPORT CALLED AMERICAN WOMEN, TO REVIEW, AND MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR IMPROVING, THE STATUS OF WOMEN.  ON NOVEMBER 1 OF THAT YEAR, THREE WEEKS BEFORE HIS ASSASSINATION, PRESIDENT KENNEDY SIGNED AN EXECUTIVE ORDER ESTABLISHING A COMMITTEE AND COUNCIL TO FACILITATE CARRYING OUT THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE PRESIDENT'S COMMISSION.   INTERESTINGLY, AT THE ANNUAL NOW CONFERENCE IN TAMPA, FLORIDA, WHICH I ATTENDED LAST MONTH, SARA MANZANO-DIAZ, THE DIRECTOR OF THE WOMEN’S BUREAU OF THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR, ANNOUNCED THAT EARLIER THIS YEAR, FORTY-EIGHT YEARS FROM THE PUBLICATION OF THE FIRST REPORT, A SECOND REPORT ON WOMEN WAS PUBLISHED.  IT IS CALLED WOMEN IN AMERICA, INDICATORS OF SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC WELL-BEING, AND IT IS AVAILABLE ONLINE.   BUT BACK TO 1963.  THAT WAS ALSO THE YEAR WHEN CONGRESS PASSED THE EQUAL PAY ACT, WHICH BECAME EFFECTIVE IN 1964. THAT LAW REQUIRED EQUAL PAY FOR EQUAL OR SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL WORK WITHOUT REGARD TO SEX.   IN 1964, CONGRESS PASSED ANOTHER ACT, TITLE VII OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS ACT OF 1964, WHICH TOOK EFFECT ON JULY 2, 1965, AND WAS ENFORCED BY THE EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY COMMISSION(EEOC). ORIGINALLY, THAT LAW PROHIBITED ONLY DISCRIMINATION IN EMPLOYMENT BASED ON RACE, COLOR, RELIGION, SEX, AND NATIONAL ORIGIN BY COVERED EMPLOYERS, LABOR UNIONS, AND EMPLOYMENT AGENCIES. LATER, AGE DISCRIMINATION AND DISCRIMINATION AGAINST PERSONS WITH PHYSICAL OR MENTAL DISABILITIES WERE ADDED.   AS ORIGINALLY DRAFTED, TITLE VII DID NOT PROHIBIT GEMDER DISCRIMINATION, WHICH WAS ADDED DURING THE LATER STAGES OF THE DEBATE.   TITLE VII WAS MUCH BROADER THAN THE EQUAL PAY ACT. IT PROHIBITED DISCRIMINATION NOT ONLY IN PAY BUT IN ALL TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT, INCLUDING ADVERTISING FOR EMPLOYEES, PRE-EMPLOYMENT INQUIRIES AND TESTING, JOB QUALIFICATIONS, HIRING AND FIRING, PROMOTIONS, RETIREMENT, AND MEDICAL AND PENSION BENEFITS.   AFTER I GRADUATED FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI(FLORIDA) SCHOOL OF LAW IN 1957, WHEN 3% OF THIS COUNTRY’S LAW SCHOOL GRADUATES WERE WOMEN,  I WENT TO WORK FOR THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IN WASHINGTON, D.C., BECAUSE AT THAT TIME THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT WAS HIRING WOMEN LAWYERS, WHILE PRIVATE LAW FIRMS AND CORPORATIONS GENERALLY WERE NOT.   AFTER WORKING FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE AND THE NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS BOARD(NLRB), IN OCTOBER 1965, THREE MONTHS AFTER IT HAD COMMENCED OPERATIONS, I JOINED THE EEOC AS THE FIRST WOMAN ATTORNEY IN ITS OFFICE OF THE GENERAL COUNSEL.   THERE, I FOUND MYSELF IN A BRAND NEW JOB AT A BRAND NEW AGENCY WITH RESPONSIBILITY FOR FIGHTING EMPLOYMENT DISCRIMINATION, INCLUDING THAT BASED ON GENDER. AT THAT TIME, FEW AMERICANS WERE AWARE THAT THERE WAS SUCH A THING AS GENDER DISCRIMINATION. WHEN I MENTIONED "WOMEN'S RIGHTS" IN MY EARLY SPEECHES, THE RESPONSE WAS LAUGHTER. WORDS LIKE "SEX” OR “GENDER DISCRIMINATION" AND "WOMEN'S RIGHTS" HADN'T YET ENTERED THE NATION'S VOCABULARY. FURTHERMORE, JUST AS VIOLENCE WAS THE WEAPON USED AGAINST THOSE WHO ADVOCATED EQUALITY FOR AFRICAN AMERICANS, RIDICULE WAS THE WEAPON USED AGAINST THOSE WHO ADVOCATED EQUAL RIGHTS FOR WOMEN.   WHAT WAS OUR COUNTRY LIKE IN 1965?   BASICALLY, MEN AND WOMEN LIVED IN TWO DIFFERENT WORLDS. BY AND LARGE, A WOMAN'S PLACE WAS IN THE HOME. HER ROLE WAS TO MARRY AND RAISE A FAMILY. IF SHE WAS BRIGHT, COMMON WISDOM HAD IT THAT SHE WAS TO CONCEAL THAT BRIGHTNESS. SHE WAS TO   BE ATTRACTIVE--BUT NOT TOO ATTRACTIVE. SHE WAS NOT TO HAVE CAREER AMBITIONS, ALTHOUGH SHE COULD WORK FOR A FEW YEARS BEFORE MARRIAGE AS A SECRETARY, SALESWOMAN, SCHOOLTEACHER, TELEPHONE OPERATOR, SOCIAL WORKER, LIBRARIAN, PERFORMER, OR NURSE. IT WAS EXPECTED THAT SHE WOULD BE A VIRGIN WHEN SHE MARRIED. WHEN SHE HAD CHILDREN, SHE WAS TO RAISE THEM DIFFERENTLY SO THAT THEY, TOO, WOULD CONTINUE IN THE MODES OF BEHAVIOR APPROPRIATE TO THEIR GENDER. IF SHE DIVORCED, WHICH WOULD REFLECT POORLY ON HER, SHE MIGHT BE AWARDED ALIMONY AND CHILD SUPPORT--ALTHOUGH IT WAS UNLIKELY THAT SHE WOULD ACTUALLY RECEIVE THE MONIES FOR MORE THAN A FEW YEARS. IF SHE FAILED TO MARRY, SHE WAS DEEMED AN “OLD MAID,” RELEGATED TO THE PERIPHERY OF LIFE.   MARRIED WOMEN COULD WORK OUTSIDE THE HOME ONLY IF DIRE HOUSEHOLD FINANCES REQUIRED IT. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES WERE THEY TO EARN MORE MONEY THAN THEIR HUSBANDS.   WOMEN WERE NOT TO BE OPINIONATED OR ASSERTIVE. THEY WERE EXPECTED TO SHOW AN INTEREST IN FASHION, BOOKS, BALLET, COOKING, SEWING, KNITTING, AND VOLUNTEER ACTIVITIES. POLITICAL ACTIVITIES WERE ACCEPTABLE AS LONG AS THEY WERE CONDUCTED BEHIND THE SCENES.   OF COURSE, NOT ALL WOMEN WANTED, OR WERE ABLE, TO FIT INTO THIS PATTERN, AND THERE WERE ALWAYS EXCEPTIONS. BUT MOST WOMEN DID WHAT THEY WERE TOLD BECAUSE SOCIETY EXACTED A HIGH PRICE FROM DEVIANTS.   MEN, ON THE OTHER HAND, WERE THE DECISION-MAKERS AND ACTIVISTS. THEY WERE THE ONES WHO BECAME PRESIDENTS, LEGISLATORS, GENERALS, POLICE CHIEFS, SCHOOL PRINCIPALS, AND CORPORATE EXECUTIVES. THEY WERE THE HEADS OF THEIR HOUSEHOLDS, AND THEIR WIVES AND CHILDREN WERE EXPECTED TO DEFER TO THEIR WISHES. MEN WERE EXPECTED TO TAKE THE INITIATIVE IN DATING, TO HAVE SEXUAL EXPERIENCES BEFORE MARRIAGE, TO PROPOSE MARRIAGE, TO BEAR THE FINANCIAL BURDEN FOR THE ENTIRE FAMILY, AND TO HAVE LITTLE OR NOTHING TO DO WITH RUNNING THEIR HOUSEHOLDS OR RAISING THEIR CHILDREN. IT WAS ASSUMED THAT THEY WOULD BE INSENSITIVE, UNCARING, AND INARTICULATE--AND INTERESTED IN ACTIVITIES SUCH AS SPORTS, DRINKING, GAMBLING, EXTRAMARITAL AFFAIRS, AND MAKING MONEY.   MOST MEN DID WHAT THEY WERE TOLD, TOO.   THIS PICTURE OF OUR SOCIETY WAS TRUE FOR MOST OF THE POPULATION. THERE WERE, HOWEVER, OTHER DYNAMICS AT PLAY IN MINORITY COMMUNITIES.  FOR EXAMPLE, HISTORICALLY, MORE AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMEN THAN MEN ATTENDED COLLEGE.    IN 1965, NOT ONLY WAS MOST OF THE COUNTRY UNINTERESTED IN GENDER DISCRIMINATION, SO WERE MOST OF THE EEOC’S COMMISSIONERS, OFFICIALS, AND STAFF.  AT THAT TIME, THERE WERE ABOUT A HUNDRED PERMANENT EMPLOYEES AT THE COMMISSION’S HEADQUARTERS AND THEY DID NOT WANT THE COMMISSION’S STAFF AND RESOURCES DIVERTED TO ISSUES OF GENDER DISCRIMINATION. FURTHERMORE, MOST OF THEM HAD COME THERE TO FIGHT DISCRIMINATION AGAINST AFRICAN AMERICANS.  AFTER ALL, THE AGENCY HAD BEEN CREATED IN RESPONSE TO THE MOVEMENT FOR CIVIL RIGHTS FOR AFRICAN AMERICANS. THERE HAD BEEN NO SIMILAR MOVEMENT IMMEDIATELY BEFORE 1965 FOR WOMEN'S RIGHTS.  AFTER WOMEN GOT THE RIGHT TO VOTE IN 1920, FOR ABOUT FORTY YEARS, MOST WOMEN FORGOT ABOUT THE STRUGGLE FOR WOMEN'S RIGHTS. PERHAPS THEY THOUGHT THAT THE RIGHT TO VOTE WOULD BRING WITH IT ALL OTHER RIGHTS. BUT THAT DID NOT HAPPEN.   THE COUNTRY AND THE EEOC WERE, HOWEVER, IN FOR A SHOCK. IN THE COMMISSION'S FIRST FISCAL YEAR, ABOUT 37%  OF THE COMPLAINTS FILED ALLEGED GENDER  DISCRIMINATION. THESE COMPLAINTS RAISED A HOST OF NEW ISSUES THAT WERE MORE DIFFICULT THAN THOSE RAISED BY THE COMPLAINTS OF RACE DISCRIMINATION. COULD EMPLOYERS CONTINUE TO ADVERTISE IN CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING COLUMNS HEADED "HELP WANTED--MALE" AND "HELP WANTED--FEMALE"? DID  EMPLOYER HAVES TO HIRE WOMEN FOR JOBS TRADITIONALLY CONSIDERED MEN'S JOBS? COULD AIRLINES CONTINUE TO GROUND OR FIRE STEWARDESSES WHEN THEY REACHED THE AGE OF THIRTY-TWO OR THIRTY-FIVE OR MARRIED? WHAT ABOUT STATE PROTECTIVE LAWS THAT PROHIBITED THE EMPLOYMENT OF WOMEN IN CERTAIN OCCUPATIONS, LIMITED THE NUMBER OF HOURS THEY COULD WORK AND THE AMOUNT OF WEIGHT THEY COULD LIFT, AND REQUIRED SPECIAL BENEFITS FOR WOMEN, SUCH AS SEATS, RESTROOMS, AND REST AND LUNCH BREAKS? DID SCHOOL BOARDS HAVE TO KEEP TEACHERS ON AFTER THEY BECAME PREGNANT?(WHAT WOULD STUDENTS THINK IF THEY SAW PREGNANT SCHOOLTEACHERS? WOULDN'T THEY KNOW THEY'D HAD SEXUAL INTERCOURSE?)  DID EMPLOYERS HAVE TO HIRE PREGNANT WOMEN OR ALLOW EMPLOYEES WHO BECAME PREGNANT TO CONTINUE WORKING?  DID EMPLOYERS HAVE TO PROVIDE THE SAME BENEFITS ON RETIREMENT TO MEN AND WOMEN EVEN THOUGH WOMEN AS A CLASS OUTLIVED MEN?   ALTHOUGH THE EEOC WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR ISSUING DECISIONS, GUIDELINES, AND REGULATIONS THAT SET FORTH WHAT TITLE VII MEANT, THE COMMISSION DID NOT KNOW HOW TO RESOLVE THESE ISSUES.   THE ISSUES THAT WERE MOST FIERCELY FOUGHT INVOLVED CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING, AIRLINE STEWARDESSES, AND STATE PROTECTIVE LEGISLATION.   THE MAINTENANCE OF SEX-SEGREGATED CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING COLUMNS WAS OF GREAT IMPORTANCE TO NEWSPAPERS AND EMPLOYERS. NEWSPAPERS DERIVED INCREASED REVENUE FROM THE DOUBLE COLUMNS, AND EMPLOYERS WANTED TO BE ABLE TO CONTINUE TO RECRUIT BASED ON GENDER.   AIRLINES WAGED A STRENUOUS BATTLE TO MAINTAIN THEIR POLICIES OF GROUNDING OR TERMINATING STEWARDESSES WHEN THEY REACHED THE AGE OF THIRTY-TWO OR THIRTY-FIVE OR MARRIED. THEY ARGUED THAT SINCE THEY HIRED ONLY WOMEN FOR THESE JOBS ON DOMESTIC ROUTES, TITLE VII WAS INAPPLICABLE AND THEY COULD APPLY ANY CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT THEY CHOSE.    MOST AIRLINE PASSENGERS WERE MEN, AND THE AIRLINES PROMOTED THE IMAGE OF THE YOUNG, UNMARRIED STEWARDESS TO ATTRACT BUSINESSMEN.   THESE POLICIES WERE FINANCIALLY ADVANTAGEOUS FOR THE AIRLINES. THEY CUT DOWN ON THE EXPENSE OF SALARY INCREASES RELATED TO SENIORITY AND FOR PENSION AND RETIREMENT BENEFITS.   ON ANOTHER CONTROVERSIAL ISSUE, THE QUESTION OF WHETHER TITLE VII SUPERSEDED STATE PROTECTIVE LEGISLATION, WOMEN WERE DIVIDED. STARTING IN THE EARLY 1900S, STATES HAD PASSED LAWS RESTRICTING WOMEN'S EMPLOYMENT AND REQUIRING SPECIAL BENEFITS FOR WOMEN. THESE LAWS WERE PASSED FOR A NUMBER OF REASONS. SOME PROPONENTS OF SUCH LEGISLATION HAD WANTED TO PROTECT BOTH MALE AND FEMALE EMPLOYEES FROM SWEATSHOP CONDITIONS BUT FEARED THEY WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO GET LAWS PASSED FOR BOTH SEXES; OTHERS WANTED TO LIMIT WOMEN'S COMPETITION FOR JOBS WITH MEN.   IN THE AREA OF GENDER DISCRIMINATION, THE EEOC MOVED VERY SLOWLY AND CONSERVATIVELY, OR NOT AT ALL. I FOUND MYSELF INCREASINGLY FRUSTRATED BY THE UNWILLINGNESS OF MOST OF THE OFFICIALS TO COME TO GRIPS WITH THE ISSUES, AND TO COME TO GRIPS WITH THEM IN WAYS THAT WOULD EXPAND EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR WOMEN.   BECAUSE I WAS ALWAYS RAISING THE ISSUE OF SEX DISCRIMINATION, MY BOSS, THE GENERAL COUNSEL, CALLED ME A "SEX MANIAC."    I BECAME THE STAFF PERSON WHO STOOD FOR AGGRESSIVE ENFORCEMENT OF THE GENDER DISCRIMINATION PROHIBITIONS OF THE ACT, AND THIS CAUSED ME NO END OF GRIEF. AT THE END OF ONE DAY, AFTER A PARTICULARLY FRUSTRATING DISCUSSION WITH THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, I LEFT THE EEOC BUILDING WITH TEARS STREAMING DOWN MY FACE. I DIDN'T KNOW HOW I HAD GOTTEN INTO THIS POSITION--FIGHTING FOR WOMEN'S RIGHTS. NO ONE HAD ELECTED ME TO REPRESENT WOMEN. I DIDN'T KNOW WHY I WAS ENGAGED IN THIS BATTLE AGAINST MEN WHO HAD POWER WHEN I HAD NONE.   THROUGH MY WORK, I DEVELOPED A NETWORK OF SUPPORT OUTSIDE THE EEOC. I CAME IN CONTACT AT VARIOUS GOVERNMENT AGENCIES WITH MID-LEVEL STAFFERS LIKE MYSELF WHO WERE CONCERNED WITH IMPROVING THE RIGHTS OF WOMEN. TOGETHER, WE FORMED AN INFORMAL NETWORK OF SUPPORT AND INFORMATION-SHARING. I WOULD PASS ON TO THIS NETWORK INFORMATION ON WOMEN'S RIGHTS CASES THAT WERE DEVELOPING AT THE EEOC, WHICH THE MEMBERS OF THIS NETWORK WOULD THEN PASS ON TO MARGUERITE RAWALT, A DISTINGUISHED ATTORNEY AND FEMINIST. SHE, IN TURN, WOULD RELAY THIS INFORMATION TO HER NETWORK OF FEMINIST ATTORNEYS IN PRIVATE PRACTICE. THESE ATTORNEYS WOULD THEN REPRESENT THE COMPLAINING PARTIES IN PRECEDENT-SETTING GENDER DISCRIMINATION LAWSUITS.   IN 1966, A WRITER CAME TO THE EEOC. SHE HAD BECOME FAMOUS THROUGH WRITING A BOOK PUBLISHED IN 1963 CALLED THE FEMININE MYSTIQUE, WHICH DEALT WITH THE FRUSTRATIONS OF WOMEN WHO WERE HOUSEWIVES AND MOTHERS AND DID NOT WORK OUTSIDE THE HOME. NOW, SHE WAS INTERVIEWING EEOC OFFICIALS AND STAFF FOR A SECOND BOOK. HER NAME WAS BETTY FRIEDAN.   WHEN WE MET, BETTY ASKED ME TO REVEAL PROBLEMS AND CONFLICTS AT THE COMMISSION.  I TOLD HER EVERYTHING WAS FINE SINCE AS AN EEOC STAFF MEMBER, I DID NOT FEEL I COULD PUBLICLY SPEAK OUT ABOUT THE COMMISSION'S DERELICTIONS. BUT WHEN SHE CAME A SECOND TIME, IT WAS ON A DAY WHEN I WAS FEELING PARTICULARLY FRUSTRATED.  I INVITED HER INTO THE PRIVACY OF MY OFFICE AND THIS TIME I LEVELED WITH HER. I TOLD HER, WITH TEARS IN MY EYES, THAT THE COUNTRY NEEDED AN ORGANIZATION TO FIGHT FOR WOMEN LIKE THE NAACP(NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR COLORED PEOPLE) FOUGHT FOR ITS CONSTITUENCY.   THEN, IN JUNE 1966, AT THE THIRD NATIONAL CONFERENCE OF COMMISSIONS ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN IN WASHINGTON, D.C., THE ATTENDEES WANTED TO PASS RESOLUTIONS DEMANDING THE ENFORCEMENT OF TITLE VII FOR WOMEN AND THE REAPPOINTMENT OF COMMISSIONER DICK GRAHAM, WHO WAS A FEMINIST. THEY BECAME ENRAGED WHEN THEY WERE TOLD THAT SINCE THEIR MEETING WAS BEING HELD UNDER THE AUSPICES OF THE WOMEN’S BUREAU IN THE U.S. LABOR DEPARTMENT, THEY DID NOT HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO PASS A RESOLUTION INVOLVING ANOTHER FEDERAL AGENCY. AS A RESULT, THAT EVENING AND AT A LUNCHEON AT THE CONFERENCE THE NEXT DAY, BETTY FRIEDAN AND A SMALL GROUP PLANNED AN ORGANIZATION THAT SUBSEQUENTLY BECAME NOW. ITS PURPOSE, AS WRITTEN BY BETTY ON A PAPER NAPKIN, WAS "TO TAKE THE ACTIONS NEEDED TO BRING WOMEN INTO THE MAINSTREAM OF AMERICAN SOCIETY, NOW, FULL EQUALITY FOR WOMEN, IN FULLY EQUAL PARTNERSHIP WITH MEN." BY THE END OF THE DAY, EVERYONE AT THE CONFERENCE WHO WANTED TO JOIN HAD TOSSED $5 INTO A WAR CHEST AND NOW HAD TWENTY-EIGHT FOUNDERS.   ANOTHER TWENTY-ONE FOUNDERS, OF WHOM I WAS ONE, WERE ADDED THAT OCTOBER AT AN ORGANIZING CONFERENCE IN WASHINGTON, D.C.     MOST OF US DID NOT KNOW EACH OTHER. ONE OF THE REALITIES OF THOSE DAYS WAS THAT THERE WAS NO NATIONAL NETWORK WHEREBY WOMEN AND MEN INTERESTED IN WOMEN'S RIGHTS COULD COME TO KNOW EACH OTHER AND WORK TOGETHER. WHAT WE HAD IN COMMON WAS A FRUSTRATION WITH THE STATUS OF WOMEN AND A DETERMINATION TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. THE CONCEPT OF WOMEN'S RIGHTS WAS AN IDEA WHOSE TIME HAD COME.   AFTER ITS FOUNDING, NOW EMBARKED UPON AN AMBITIOUS PROGRAM OF ACTIVITIES TO GET THE EEOC TO ENFORCE TITLE VII FOR WOMEN. IT FILED LAWSUITS, PETITIONED THE EEOC FOR PUBLIC HEARINGS, PICKETED THE EEOC AND THE WHITE HOUSE, AND GENERALLY MOBILIZED PUBLIC OPINION.   I BECAME INVOLVED IN AN UNDERGROUND ACTIVITY. I TOOK TO MEETING PRIVATELY AT NIGHT IN WASHINGTON WITH THREE OTHER GOVERNMENT LAWYERS DEVOTED TO WOMEN'S RIGHTS. AT THOSE MEETINGS, I DISCUSSED THE INACTION OF THE COMMISSION THAT I HAD WITNESSED DURING THAT DAY OR WEEK WITH REGARD TO WOMEN'S RIGHTS, AND THEN WE DRAFTED LETTERS FROM NOW TO THE COMMISSION DEMANDING THAT ACTION BE TAKEN IN THOSE AREAS. TO MY AMAZEMENT, NO ONE AT THE COMMISSION EVER QUESTIONED HOW NOW HAD BECOME PRIVY TO THE COMMISSION'S DELIBERATIONS.   AS A RESULT OF PRESSURE BY NOW, THE EEOC BEGAN TO TAKE SERIOUSLY ITS MANDATE TO ELIMINATE SEX DISCRIMINATION IN EMPLOYMENT. IT CONDUCTED HEARINGS AND BEGAN TO ISSUE INTERPRETATIONS AND DECISIONS IMPLEMENTING WOMEN'S RIGHTS.   IT PROHIBITED SEX-SEGREGATED ADVERTISING COLUMNS AND, WITH NARROW EXCEPTIONS, REQUIRED THAT ALL JOBS, INCLUDING JOBS AS FLIGHT CABIN ATTENDANTS, HAD TO BE OPEN TO MEN AND WOMEN ALIKE.  IT RULED THAT A WOMAN COULD NOT BE REFUSED EMPLOYMENT BECAUSE OF THE PREFERENCES OF HER EMPLOYER, CO-WORKERS, CLIENTS, OR CUSTOMERS, OR BECAUSE SHE WAS PREGNANT OR HAD CHILDREN.  A WOMAN WHO NEEDED TIME OFF IN CONNECTION WITH PREGNANCY, CHILDBIRTH, OR AFTER THE BIRTH OF A CHILD WAS ENTITLED TO THE SAME SICK LEAVE AND PAY AND THE SAME TIME OFF AND PAY DURING OTHER LEAVES THAT HER EMPLOYER PROVIDED FOR EMPLOYEES IN GENERAL WHO REQUESTED TIME OFF FOR ILLNESS OR OTHER REASONS.   LAWS THAT RESTRICTED WOMEN'S EMPLOYMENT WERE SUPERSEDED BY TITLE VII. LAWS THAT REQUIRED BENEFITS FOR WOMEN COULD BE HARMONIZED WITH TITLE VII BY PROVIDING THE SAME BENEFITS TO MEN.   MEN AND WOMEN DOING SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL WORK WERE ENTITLED TO EQUALITY IN PAY AND OTHER BENEFITS, INCLUDING PENSION AND RETIREMENT BENEFITS. THEY ALSO HAD THE RIGHT TO BE FREE OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT ON THE JOB.   MEN ALSO USED THE REMEDIES PROVIDED BY TITLE VII, ALTHOUGH TO A MUCH LESSER EXTENT. THEY COMPLAINED WHEN THEY WERE EXCLUDED FROM TRADITIONALLY FEMALE JOBS, SUCH AS NURSING, OR WERE PROHIBITED FROM WEARING BEARDS, MUSTACHES, OR LONG HAIR ON THE JOB.   THE EEOC FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THIS COUNTRY BEGAN THE COLLECTION OF STATISTICS FROM EMPLOYERS ON THEIR EMPLOYMENT OF WOMEN IN VARIOUS CATEGORIES OF EMPLOYMENT.   NOW WAS THE FIRST ORGANIZATION FORMED TO FIGHT FOR WOMEN'S RIGHTS IN THE MID-'60S, BUT IT WAS FOLLOWED BY MANY OTHERS. TRADITIONAL WOMEN'S ORGANIZATIONS, WHICH HAD INITIALLY REFUSED TO JOIN THE STRUGGLE, DID SO LATER, AND NEW ORGANIZATIONS WERE FORMED. UNIONS, MOST OF WHICH WERE INITIALLY HOSTILE TO WOMEN'S RIGHTS, BECAME INVOLVED IN THE STRUGGLE. UNIONS WERE IN FACT LATER IN THE FOREFRONT OF THE PAY EQUITY STRUGGLE, THE FIGHT TO SECURE EQUAL PAY FOR WOMEN FOR WORK OF COMPARABLE WORTH OR VALUE TO THAT OF MEN.   VARIOUS LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT ALSO BECAME MORE ACTIVE: EXECUTIVE ORDERS WERE ISSUED BY PRESIDENTS, FEDERAL AND STATE LAWS AND MUNICIPAL ORDINANCES WERE PASSED, AND COURT DECISIONS ISSUED.   NEW GOVERNMENT AGENCIES WERE CREATED TO FIGHT DISCRIMINATION, SUCH AS THE OFFICE OF FEDERAL CONTRACT COMPLIANCE PROGRAMS(OFCCP) IN THE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR. THE OFCCP IMPLEMENTS EXECUTIVE ORDERS THAT REQUIRE CONTRACTORS AND SUBCONTRACTORS OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO TAKE AFFIRMATIVE ACTION TO HIRE AND PROMOTE WOMEN OR RISK THE LOSS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN GOVERNMENT CONTRACTS.   DISCRIMINATION BASED ON GENDER OR MARITAL STATUS IN THE SALE AND RENTAL OF HOUSING AND IN THE GRANTING OF CREDIT WAS PROHIBITED. TITLE IX OF THE EDUCATION AMENDMENTS OF 1972 PROHIBITED EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS, FROM PRESCHOOLS THROUGH COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES, THAT RECEIVED FEDERAL FUNDS FROM DISCRIMINATING ON THE BASIS OF GENDER AGAINST STUDENTS AND ALL EMPLOYEES, INCLUDING ADMINISTRATIVE PERSONNEL AND FACULTY MEMBERS. ONE OF THE EFFECTS OF TITLE IX HAS BEEN THE REQUIREMENT FOR EQUALITY IN EXPENDITURES FOR SCHOOL ATHLETIC PROGRAMS.   LEGISLATION IN 1972 GAVE THE EEOC THE POWER TO ENFORCE ITS ORDERS IN THE COURTS. THE PREGNANCY DISCRIMINATION ACT OF 1978 CODIFIED THE EEOC'S GUIDELINES ON PREGNANCY AND LEAVE IN CONNECTION WITH PREGNANCY, WHICH I HAD DRAFTED FOR THE COMMISSION IN 1972. IN 1991, FOR THE FIRST TIME, WOMEN WERE GIVEN THE RIGHT TO SECURE MONETARY DAMAGES FOR SEXUAL HARASSMENT AND OTHER INTENTIONAL GENDER DISCRIMINATION. ABOUT TWO WEEKS AFTER TAKING OFFICE, PRESIDENT CLINTON SIGNED THE FAMILY AND MEDICAL LEAVE ACT, REQUIRING EMPLOYERS TO PROVIDE THEIR EMPLOYEES WITH UP TO TWELVE WEEKS OF UNPAID, JOB-PROTECTED LEAVE EACH YEAR IN CONNECTION WITH THE BIRTH OR ADOPTION OF A CHILD;  THE SERIOUS ILLNESS OF A CHILD, SPOUSE, OR PARENT; OR THE INABILITY OF THE EMPLOYEE TO WORK BECAUSE OF A SERIOUS HEALTH CONDITION.   DUE TO ALL THIS ACTIVITY, THE AMERICAN PUBLIC BECAME AWARE THAT THERE WAS A NEW NATIONAL PRIORITY: EQUAL RIGHTS FOR WOMEN.   WHERE ARE WE TODAY?   OUR SOCIETY HAS UNDERGONE MASSIVE CHANGE. WOMEN ARE NOW FOUND IN LARGE NUMBERS IN PROFESSIONAL SCHOOLS AND IN THE PROFESSIONS, AND, TO A MUCH LESSER EXTENT, IN EXECUTIVE SUITES AND LEGISLATURES.       WOMEN NOW WORK AT A HOST OF TECHNICAL AND BLUE COLLAR JOBS PREVIOUSLY CLOSED TO THEM.     IN 1976, WOMEN WERE ADMITTED TO WEST POINT AND OUR OTHER MILITARY ACADEMIES, A DEVELOPMENT THAT WAS UNTHINKABLE BEFORE THE WOMEN'S MOVEMENT.  THE PERCENT OF WOMEN IN THE MILITARY ROSE FROM LESS THAN 2% IN THE 1960S TO 14%  IN SEPTEMBER 30, 2008, AND THE VARIETY OF THEIR ASSIGNMENTS HAS INCREASED SUBSTANTIALLY.   AS OF SEPTEMBER 30, 2008, THERE WERE 205,396 ACTIVE DUTY WOMEN SERVING IN THE MILITARY.     OVER 750 COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES HAVE WOMEN'S AND GENDER STUDIES PROGRAMS.     THE EFFECTS OF TITLE VII HAVE SPILLED OVER TO EVERY AREA OF OUR SOCIETY.  LAWS HAVE CHANGED WOMEN'S RIGHTS WITH REGARD TO ABORTION, DIVORCE, ALIMONY, CHILD CUSTODY, CHILD SUPPORT, RAPE, JURY SERVICE, APPOINTMENTS AS ADMINISTRATORS AND EXECUTORS OF ESTATES, SENTENCING FOR CRIMES, AND ADMISSION TO PLACES OF PUBLIC ACCOMMODATION, SUCH AS CLUBS, RESTAURANTS, AND BARS.  OUR SPOKEN LANGUAGE HAS CHANGED, AND MUCH WORK HAS BEEN DONE ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF GENDER-NEUTRAL WRITTEN LANGUAGE IN LAWS, TEXTBOOKS, RELIGIOUS TEXTS, AND PUBLICATIONS OF ALL SORTS.   WOMEN ARE NOW BEING INCLUDED IN CLINICAL RESEARCH STUDIES, AND WE ARE LEARNING THAT WOMEN AND MEN REACT DIFFERENTLY TO DIFFERENT MEDICATIONS, THAT THERE ARE GENDER DIFFERENCES IN THE VULNERABILITY TO DISEASE, AND THAT EVEN WHERE DISEASES STRIKE BOTH SEXES, THEY OFTEN FOLLOW DIFFERENT COURSES.    EIGHTEEN YEARS AFTER THE FOUNDING OF NOW, GERALDINE FERRARO, WHO DIED THIS PAST MARCH, MADE HISTORY BY BEING THE FIRST  WOMAN ON A NATIONAL PARTY TICKET FOR VICE PRESIDENT, AND, NINE YEARS AFTER THAT,  JANET RENO BECAME THE FIRST WOMAN ATTORNEY GENERAL IN OUR HISTORY.    IN JANUARY 2007, WOMEN AGAIN MADE HISTORY WHEN NANCY PELOSI BECAME THE 60TH SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES AND THE FIRST WOMAN IN THAT POSITION.  I HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF WORKING FOR HER IN 1988.   WOMEN APPEAR TO HAVE FINALLY BROKEN THROUGH WHAT MINORITY LEADER PELOSI CALLS THE “MARBLE CEILING“ IN CONGRESS.  WOMEN IN BOTH THE HOUSE AND SENATE HAVE MOVED UP TO POSITIONS OF POWER IN THE LEADERSHIP AND AS THE HEADS OF KEY COMMITTEES AND SUBCOMMITTEES.   THE LEGAL RIGHTS  WOMEN ATTAINED IN THIS COUNTRY SINCE THE MID-SIXTIES AND SIMILAR MOVEMENTS WORLDWIDE HAVE COMPLETELY CHANGED THE FACE OF THIS COUNTRY AND ARE WELL ON THEIR WAY TO CHANGING THE FACE OF THE WORLD.   THE LATE ELI GINZBERG, FORMER CHAIRMAN OF THE NATIONAL COMMISSION FOR MANPOWER POLICY, SAID THAT THE INCREASE IN THE NUMBER AND PROPORTION OF WOMEN WHO WORK WAS THE SINGLE MOST OUTSTANDING PHENOMENON OF  THE TWENTIETH CENTURY.   WE'VE ACHIEVED A LOT, BUT MUCH REMAINS TO BE DONE. WOMEN HAVE MADE UP 57% OF COLLEGE STUDENTS SINCE AT LEAST 2000 BUT AS OF 2006 ONLY 23% OF COLLEGE PRESIDENTS WERE WOMEN AND WOMEN ACCOUNT FOR ONLY 2% OF FORTUNE 500 CEOS.     AS OF THE 2008-2009 CLASS, WOMEN CONSTITUTED 44% OF LAW SCHOOL STUDENTS.  BUT AS OF THE SPRING OF 2010,  WOMEN ACCOUNTED FOR ONLY 22% OF ALL FEDERAL JUDGESHIPS AND 26% OF ALL STATE JUDGESHIPS.  AN AMAZING STATISTIC IS THAT 38% OF OUR STATE SUPREME COURTS ARE HEADED BY WOMEN CHIEF JUDGES.     AS OF 2005, ONLY ABOUT 17% OF THE PARTNERS AT MAJOR LAW FIRMS NATIONWIDE WERE WOMEN.   LOOKING INTO POLITICAL PARTICIPATION, AS OF THIS PAST JANUARY, OF THE 1,163 MAYORS OF U.S. CITIES WITH POPULATIONS OVER 30,000, 194 OR 16.7%, WERE WOMEN. SIX WOMEN OR 12%, SERVE AS GOVERNORS.   WOMEN HOLD 17% OF THE SEATS IN EACH OF OUR HOUSES OF CONGRESS. THE INTER-PARLIAMENTARY UNION  RANKS THE UNITED STATES 72ND WORLDWIDE WITH REGARD TO FEMALE REPRESENTATION IN NATIONAL LEGISLATURES. THE NORDIC COUNTRIES(SWEDEN, ICELAND, FINLAND, DENMARK, AND NORWAY) LEAD THE WORLD REGIONALLY WITH 41.6% FEMALE REPRESENTATION IN NATIONAL LEGISLATURES.    NO WOMAN HAS EVER SERVED AS PRESIDENT, VICE PRESIDENT,  OR MAJORITY LEADER OF OUR SENATE.      AS OF 2009, WOMEN MADE UP AN ESTIMATED 50.7% OF OUR POPULATION, BUT WITH THREE WOMEN ON THE U. S. SUPPREME COURT,  THE FEMALE REPRESENTATION ON THE COURT IS 33%.          WOMEN HAVE INCREASED THEIR NUMBERS AND RANGE OF DUTIES IN THE MILITARY, BUT  IN ALL THE SERVICES EXCEPT THE COAST GUARD SERVICEWOMEN ARE RESTRICTED FROM SERVING IN CERTAIN POSITIONS AND UNITS, SUCH AS COMBAT BRANCHES.  HOWEVER, A SEPTEMBER 15, 2009, NY TIMES ARTICLE REFERRED TO THE FACT THAT IN THE IRAN AND IRAQ WARS MILITARY LEADERS BENT THE RULES TO GET WOMEN INTO COMBAT POSITIONS.  THIS REALITY ON THE GROUND IS NOT YET REFLECTED IN A CHANGE IN WRITTEN POLICY, WHICH WOULD REQUIRE CONGRESSIONAL APPROVAL.   THIS PAST MAY IT WAS REPORTED THAT WOMEN DEPLOYED IN WARS IN IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN ARE ESPECIALLY VULNERABLE TO POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER.   SEXUAL ASSAULTS, INCLUDING RAPE, ARE A HORRIFIC PROBLEM FOR BOTH MILITARY WOMEN AND MEN.  THIS PAST MARCH, THE PENTAGON RELEASED ITS ANNUAL REPORT ON SEXUAL ASSAULT, INCLUDING RAPE, IN THE MILITARY. FOR FISCAL YEAR 2010, THERE WERE 3,158 TOTAL REPORTS OF SEXUAL ASSAULT IN THE MILITARY.  THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE ESTIMATES THAT THIS REPRESENTS ONLY 13.5% OF TOTAL ASSAULTS BECAUSE OF MASSIVE UNDERREPORTING.   THUS, THE TOTAL NUMBER OF SEXUAL ASSAULTS, INCLUDING RAPE, IN FISCAL YEAR 2010  WAS ACTUALLY OVER 19,000.  THE VAST MAJORITY OF SUCH ASSAULTS WERE MALE ON FEMALE. WOMEN IN THE ARMED FORCES ARE MORE LIKELY TO BE ASSAULTED BY A FELLOW SOLDIER THAN KILLED IN COMBAT.   AS OF JUNE 2009, THERE WERE 148,200 WOMEN IN U.S. STATE AND FEDERAL PRISONS AND IN WOMEN’S CORRECTIONAL FACILITIES, MAKING UP ABOUT 10% OF THE TOTAL PRISON POPULATION.   IN FEDERAL CORRECTIONAL FACILITIES, 70% OF GUARDS ARE MALE AND RECORDS SHOW THAT CORRECTIONAL OFFICIALS HAVE SUBJECTED FEMALE INMATES TO RAPE, OTHER SEXUAL ASSAULT, SEXUAL EXTORTION, AND GROPING DURING BODY SEARCHES.        IN ADDITION,  WOMEN IN PRISON HAVE BEEN DENIED ESSENTIAL MEDICAL RESOURCES AND TREATMENTS, ESPECIALLY DURING TIMES OF PREGNANCY AND CHRONIC OR DEGENERATIVE DISEASES.   WOMEN IN THE U.S. ARE STILL SUBJECT NOT ONLY TO SEX DISCRIMINATION, BUT IF THEY ARE OLDER WOMEN, WOMEN OF COLOR, OR HAVE DISABILITIES, THEY MAY BE THE VICTIMS OF MULTIPLE FORMS OF DISCRIMINATION.   THEY STILL DO NOT GET EQUAL PAY FOR EQUAL WORK.  IN 1963, WHEN THE EQUAL PAY ACT WAS SIGNED, FULL-TIME YEAR-ROUND  WOMEN WORKERS MADE 59 CENTS ON AVERAGE FOR EVERY DOLLAR EARNED BY MEN.  THIS CENTURY, WOMEN’S EARNINGS HAVE HOVERED AROUND 76-77 CENTS FOR EVERY DOLLAR EARNED BY MEN.   THIS PAST JULY 12, THE WOMEN’S ENEWS REPORTED ON THE SCARCITY OF WOMEN ON CORPORATE BOARDS OF LEADING CORPORATIONS.  WOMEN CONSTITUTE JUST 15% OF THE BOARDS OF FORTUNE 500 COMPANIES DESPITE THE FACT THAT WOMEN MAKE 85% OF THE PURCHASING DECISIONS ABOUT THE PRODUCTS AND SERVICES SOLD BY THOSE COMPANIES.     WITH REGARD TO WOMEN IN TV AND FILM, IT’S A MIXED BAG.  WE’VE MADE SOME PROGRESS BUT HAVE A LONG WAY TO GO.   AN ARTICLE THIS PAST MAY FROM BIZJOURNALS POINTED OUT THAT, ACCORDING TO A SURVEY OF FILM AND TV WRITERS FROM 2008 TO 2009, WOMEN WRITERS HAVE MADE LITTLE PROGRESS BREAKING INTO HOLLYWOOD AND EARNING AS MUCH AS THEIR WHITE MALE COUNTERPARTS.  WOMEN’S OVERALL INDUSTRY EMPLOYMENT IS 24% AND WOMEN WRITERS REMAIN STUCK AT 28% OF TELEVISION EMPLOYMENT.

          LAST YEAR, DIRECTOR KATHRYN BIGELOW MADE HISTORY WHEN SHE BECAME THE FIRST WOMAN TO WIN AN ACADEMY AWARD FOR BEST DIRECTOR FOR THE MOVIE, THE HURT LOCKER--AND BEAT HER  EX-HUSBAND, JAMES CAMERON, WHO DIRECTED AVATAR, THE HIGHEST- GROSSING FILM EVER.  AS SHE OPENED THE ENVELOP, BARBRA STREISAND DECLARED, “IT’S ABOUT TIME.”

            ALTHOUGH SUCCESSFUL FEMALE DIRECTORS APPEAR TO HAVE GAINED HIGHER PROFILES LATELY, ACCORDING TO AN ANNUAL STUDY OF WOMEN WRITERS, DIRECTORS, AND PRODUCERS OF THE 250 TOP-GROSSING FILMS OF THE YEAR BY THE CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF WOMEN IN FILM AND TELEVISION AT SAN DIEGO UNIVERSITY,  THE ACTUAL PERCENTAGE OF TOP FILMS DIRECTED BY WOMEN HAS REMAINED STATIC FOR TWENTY-FIVE YEARS AT 7 TO 9%. WHEN THERE WERE WOMEN DIRECTORS, HOWEVER, THE PERCENTAGE OF FEMALE CHARACTERS JUMPED DRAMATICALLY.

          THIS PAST APRIL,  ACTOR AND OSCAR WINNER GEENA DAVIS WAS IN SARASOTA, FL, WHERE I LIVE, FOR THE SARASOTA FILM FESTIVAL.  AT A LUNCHEON, SHE MENTIONED WATCHING CHILDREN’S PROGRAMS WITH HER DAUGHTER AND NOTICING THE DISPARITY BETWEEN THE LARGE NUMBER OF MEN’S ROLES AND THE SMALL NUMBER OF ROLES FOR WOMEN. AS A RESULT, SHE FOUNDED THE GEENA DAVIS INSTITUTE ON GENDER IN MEDIA AND ITS PROGRAMMING ARM, SEE JANE.  THIS INSTITUTE WORKS WITH ENTERTAINMENT COMPANIES AND THE NEXT GENERATION OF CONTENT-CREATORS TO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF GIRLS AND WOMEN IN MEDIA AIMED AT CHILDREN, AS WELL AS WORKING TO REDUCE STEREOTYPING OF BOTH MALES AND FEMALES.

           WOMEN IN COMEDY WAS THE SUBJECT OF A BLOG THIS PAST APRIL BY AN MFDAVEY.  MS.  DAVEY ADMITTED THAT WOMEN HAVE COME A LONG WAY IN COMEDY.  DURING THE HEIGHT OF VAUDEVILLE, WOMEN WERE ONLY ALLOWED TO PARTICIPATE IN COMEDY IF THEY FED PUNCH LINES TO THEIR MALE PARTNERS.  SINCE THEN, WE’VE HAD BREAKOUT STARS LIKE LUCILLE BALL, CAROL BURNETT, AND LILY TOMLIN IN THE PAST AND TINA FEY, AMY POEHLER, AND SARAH SILVERMAN IN THE PRESENT. BUT MFDAVEY QUESTIONS WHETHER OR NOT WOMEN ARE TRULY BREAKING THROUGH COMEDY’S GLASS CEILING.  A SURVEY OF ELEVEN LATE-NIGHT TV PROGRAMS FOUND THAT OF 146 WRITERS, 11 WERE WOMEN!   MS. DAVEY’S ARTICLE WAS PUBLISHED BEFORE THE MAY 2011 RELEASE DATE OF THE MOVIE, BRIDESMAIDS, THE MOST SUCCESSFUL FEMALE-LED R-RATED COMEDY MOVIE OF ALL TIME.  IT WAS WRITTEN BY TWO WOMEN, KRISTIN WIIG, ITS STAR, AND ANNIE MUMOLO.   IN THEATER, PLAYS BY WOMEN MAKE UP ONLY ABOUT 17% OF THE NEW PLAYS PRODUCED IN THIS COUNTRY.   ON A DIFFERENT ISSUE, THE EQUAL RIGHTS AMENDMENT(ERA) TO OUR CONSTITUTION HAS YET TO BE RATIFIED BY THE REQUISITE NUMBER OF STATES--38.  THREE MORE STATES ARE NEEDED AND  ACTIVE EFFORTS ARE CURRENTLY UNDERWAY IN A NUMBER OF STATES TO GET RATIFICATION.     SEXUAL HARASSMENT AT SCHOOL AND WORK ARE SIGNIFICANT AREAS OF CONCERN.     POVERTY AND HUNGER PARTICULARLY AFFECT WOMEN AND CHILDREN. IN 2009, IN THE U.S., 43.6 MILLION INDIVIDUALS(14.3% OF OUR POPULATION) WERE IN POVERTY;  8.8 MILLION FAMILIES(11.1% OF FAMILIES) WERE IN POVERTY; AND 15.5 MILLION CHILDREN UNDER THE AGE OF EIGHTEEN(20.7% OF OUR CHILDREN) WERE IN POVERTY.     IN 2008, 49 MILLION AMERICANS, 16% OF OUR POPULATION, DID NOT HAVE ACCESS TO A SUFFICIENT AMOUNT OF FOOD. WOMEN AND CHILDREN HAVE BEEN HIT THE HARDEST BY HUNGER.  ACCORDING TO A 2009 ARTICLE, IN THE U.S. ONE OUT OF EVERY FOUR CHILDREN GOES HUNGRY ON A REGULAR BASIS.    AN AVERAGE OF 43.3 MILLION AMERICANS, MORE THAN 1/8 OF OUR POPULATION, GET FOOD STAMPS EACH MONTH.   THE NATIONAL CENTER ON FAMILY HOMELESSNESS STATED THE FOLLOWING IN TESTIMONY GIVEN IN OCTOBER 2009.  IN THE PAST, EXCEPT DURING THE GREAT DEPRESSION, WOMEN AND CHILDREN WERE NEVER SEEN ON OUR NATION’S STREETS IN SIGNIFICANT NUMBERS.  BUT IN 2009, THE FASTEST GROWING SEGMENT OF OUR HOMELESS POPULATION WAS FAMILIES WITH CHILDREN, WHO CONSTITUTED 40% OF THE HOMELESS POPULATION.      THE U.S. IS UNIQUE AMONG INDUSTRIALIZED NATIONS IN THAT WOMEN AND CHILDREN COMPRISE SUCH A LARGE PERCENTAGE OF THE HOMELESS. IN 2009, THE CENTER ON FAMILY HOMELESSNES RELEASED ITS REPORT AMERICA’S YOUNGEST OUTCASTS.  THE REPORT STATED THAT EACH YEAR IN THE U.S., ONE IN FIFTY CHILDREN IS HOMELESS, MORE THAN 1½ MILLION CHILDREN, AND THIS NUMBER IS GROWING.  A TYPICAL FAMILY THAT IS HOMELESS CONSISTS OF A MOTHER IN HER LATE TWENTIES WITH TWO CHILDREN.     IN SARASOTA, FLORIDA, A COALITION HAS JUST COMPLETED DRAFTING A 10-YEAR PLAN TO END HOMELESSNESS AND SOME OTHER CITIES HAVE ADOPTED AND IMPLEMENTED SIMILAR PLANS.   THERE IS AN EPIDEMIC OF GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE AND SEXUAL ASSAULT, INCLUDING MURDER.  THE RAPE, ABUSE & INCEST NATIONAL NETWORK REPORTS AS FOLLOWS:  44% OF RAPE VICTIMS ARE UNDER 18 AND 80% ARE UNDER 30; EVERY 2 MINUTES SOMEONE IN THE U.S. IS SEXUALLY ASSAULTED; EACH YEAR THERE ARE ABOUT 213,000 VICTIMS OF SEXUAL ASSAULT; 60% OF SEXUAL ASSAULTS ARE NOT REPORTED TO POLICE; 15 OF 16 RAPISTS WILL NEVER SPEND A DAY IN JAIL; APPROXIMATELY 2/3 OF ASSAULTS ARE COMMITTED BY SOMEONE KNOWN TO THE VICTIM; AND 38% OF RAPISTS ARE FRIENDS OR ACQUAINTANCES.   WE NEED MORE SAFE HOUSES AND SERVICES FOR BATTERED WOMEN.   THIS YEAR, AS EVERY YEAR, THE U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT ISSUED ITS WORLDWIDE TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS REPORT.  THE U.S. DEFINES TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS TO INCLUDE ALL CONDUCT INVOLVED IN FORCED LABOR AS WELL AS THE TRAFFICKING OF ADULTS AND CHILDREN FOR COMMERCIAL SEXUAL EXPLOITATION.  THE REPORT NOTED THAT THE U.S. IS A SOURCE, TRANSIT, AND DESTINATION COUNTRY FOR MEN, WOMEN, AND CHILDREN SUBJECTED TO FORCED LABOR, DEBT BONDAGE, DOCUMENT SERVITUDE AND SEX TRAFFICKING.  ACCORDING TO THE MOST RECENT STATISTICS RELEASED BY THE STATE DEPARTMENT, AS MANY AS 100,000 PEOPLE IN THE U.S. ARE ENSLAVED.    OTHER ISSUES INVOLVING WOMEN ARE REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS AND FAMILY PLANNING SERVICES. MANY ARTICLES HAVE DISCUSSED THE RIGHT-WING’S WAR ON WOMEN BEING WAGED IN OUR FEDERAL AND STATE LEGISLATURES AND THE COURTS. THE RIGHTS GRANTED BY ROE V. WADE ARE BEING WHITTLED DOWN DAILY.   IN AN ARTICLE PUBLISHED TEN DAYS AGO IN THE PROGRESSIVE NEWS DAILY, MARIE DIAMOND STATED THAT ACCORDING TO THE GUTTMACHER INSTITUTE, STATES ENACTED A RECORD NUMBER OF ANTI-ABORTION LAWS IN THE FIRST SIX MONTHS OF 2011 ALONE.  FIVE STATES HAVE DEFUNDED PLANNED PARENTHOOD, 97% OF WHOSE SERVICES ARE NOT ABORTION-RELATED, AND UPON WHICH ONE IN FOUR AMERICAN WOMEN HAVE RELIED FOR HEALTH CARE.     IN ADDITION, FRINGE PROPOSALS ARE RAPIDLY SEEPING INTO THE POLITICAL MAINSTREAM, WITH SEVERAL STATES BACKING “FETAL PERSONHOOD” LAWS THAT EFFECTIVELY OUTLAW CONRACEPTIVES, LIKE BIRTH CONTROL PILLS, AND CRIMINALIZE WOMEN WHO MISCARRY.     TWO WEEKS AGO, THE PRESIDENT OF FLORIDA’S FAMILY POLICY COUNCIL, AN OPPONENT OF ABORTION, WROTE THAT INCREASES IN ANTI-ABORTION LEGISLATION, ANTI-ABORTION CAMPAIGNS TARGETING MINORITIES, SIDEWALK COUNSELING AND CRISIS PREGNANCY CENTERS, COMBINED WITH ATTACKS ON PLANNED PARENTHOOD, ARE ALL EVIDENCE OF THE “BEGINNING OF THE END” OF ABORTION RIGHTS IN THE U.S.   TODAY’S WOMEN HAVE TO DEAL WITH NEW REALITIES, SUCH AS COMBINING A DEMANDING POSITION WITH MARRIAGE AND RAISING A FAMILY, AND FINDING AFFORDABLE, QUALITY HOUSEHOLD HELP AND CHILD CARE.  CHILD CARE IS ONE OF THE MAJOR MONTHLY OUT-OF-POCKET EXPENSES FOR AMERICAN FAMILIES, OFTEN COMING RIGHT AFTER HOUSING AND FOOD.  MY DAUGHTER WAS BORN IN 1972 AND THE BIGGEST PROBLEM I HAD IN RAISING HER WAS FINDING COMPETENT, AFFORDABLE CHILD CARE.  I DO NOT SEE THAT THAT SITUATION HAS IMPROVED SINCE 1972 AND MAY HAVE GOTTEN WORSE.         PREGNANCY, SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED DISEASES(STDS), AND HIV/AIDS INFECTIONS ARE SERIOUS PROBLEMS FOR OUR ADOLESCENTS.  CHILDBEARING BY TEENAGERS HAS BEEN THE SUBJECT OF PUBLIC CONCERN FOR DECADES.  CHILDREN BORN TO TEENAGERS ARE AT HIGHER RISK OF LOW BIRTH WEIGHT AND PRETERM BIRTH, AND DEATH IN INFANCY COMPARED WITH BABIES BORN TO WOMEN IN THEIR TWENTIES AND OLDER.  IN ADDITION,  TEEN PREGNANCY AND CHILDBEARING BRING SUBSTANTIAL SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC COSTS THROUGH THEIR IMPACTS ON TEEN PARENTS AND THEIR CHILDREN.  THEY RESULT IN MORE THAN $9 BILLION PER YEAR IN COSTS TO U.S. TAXPAYERS FOR INCREASED HEALTH AND FOSTER CARE AND INCREASED INCARCERATION RATES AMONG CHILDREN OF TEEN PARENTS.  TEEN PREGNANCIES ARE SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTORS TO HIGH SCHOOL DROP OUT RATES AMONG GIRLS AND THEIR CHILDREN.  THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT WITH THE EXCEPTION OF A TWO-YEAR INCREASE BETWEEN 2005 AND 2007, TEENAGE BIRTH RATES HAVE DECLINED EACH YEAR SINCE 1991.   WITH REGARD TO SEX EDUCATION IN SCHOOLS,  "ABSTINENCE-ONLY" PROGRAMS HAVEN’T PROVEN EFFECTIVE AND WE NEED TO PROVIDE AGE-APPROPRIATE, MEDICALLY ACCURATE SEX EDUCATION IN OUR SCHOOLS.     THE U.S. HAS NOT YET JOINED THE OVERWHELMING MAJORITY OF THE WORLD'S NATIONS IN RATIFYING THE UN’S CONVENTION TO ELIMINATE ALL FORMS OF DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN--CEDAW.  THE ISSUE OF RATIFYING THIS TREATY  HAS LANGUISHED IN THE U.S. SENATE FOR DECADES.   EARLIER THIS MONTH, THE NATIONAL WOMEN’S LAW CENTER ANALYZED  BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS DATA THAT SHOWED THAT WOMEN HAVE LOST GROUND IN THE JOB MARKET IN THE TWO YEARS SINCE THE RECESSION OFFICIALLY ENDED IN JUNE 2009.  THEY HAVE 281,000 FEWER JOBS TODAY THAN TWO YEARS AGO, AND THEIR UNEMPLOYMENT RATE HAS RISEN FROM 7.7% TO 8%.  IN CONTRAST, MEN HAVE GAINED GROUND.  THEY  HAVE 805,000 MORE JOBS THAN TWO YEARS AGO AND THEIR UNEMPLOYMENT RATE FELL FROM 9.9% TO 9.1%     LAURIE PATERNITI-STANTON WAS KIND ENOUGH TO MAKE COPIES OF AN ARTICLE PUBLISHED EARLIER THIS MONTH ABOUT A GLOBAL REPORT ISSUED BY UN WOMEN RECENTLY, AND IT‘S AVAILABLE AS A HANDOUT FOR YOU HERE.  THE REPORT ITSELF, CALLED PROGRESS OF THE WORLD’S WOMEN 2008/2009, CAN BE DOWNLOADED ONLINE AND IS ALSO AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE IN HARD COPY. THE ARTICLE  DISCUSSES THE FIVE  MOST SHOCKING FACTS FROM THIS REPORT ABOUT THE U.S., AND THEY ARE:   1. IN THE U.S., 16% OF WOMEN AND MEN AGREE THAT IT IS SOMETIMES JUSTIFIABLE FOR A MAN TO BEAT HIS WIFE.   2. THE GENDER PAY GAP REMAINS AT 23%.  FOR AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMEN AND LATINAS, IT IS MUCH LARGER: THEY EARN ON AVERAGE 39% AND 48%, RESPECTIVELY, LESS THAN WHITE MEN.   3. WOMEN REMAIN UNDER-REPRESENTED IN THE JUSTICE SYSTEM--AS PROSECUTORS, JUDGES, AND POLICE OFFICERS.  DATA SHOWS THAT WHERE WOMEN ARE PRESENT IN THE POLICE, THE REPORTING OF SEXUAL ASSAULT INCREASES.          4.  U.S. PRISONS HAVE ONE OF THE HIGHEST RATES OF WOMEN’S INCARCERATION IN THE WORLD.  WOMEN IN PRISON ARE TYPICALLY YOUNG, HAVE LOW LEVELS OF EDUCATION, AND HAVE DEPENDENT CHILDREN.  MANY HAVE HISTORIES OF SUBSTANCE ABUSE AND VIOLENCE.   5.  THE U.S. IS THE ONLY DEVELOPED COUNTRY IN THE ENTIRE WORLD THAT DOES NOT OFFER PAID MATERNITY LEAVE.  AND IT IS ONE OF ONLY A FEW DEVELOPED COUNTRIES THAT DOES NOT REQUIRE EMPLOYERS TO OFFER PATERNITY LEAVE.  SUCH LEAVE HAS PROVEN TO ENCOURAGE A MORE EQUITABLE DIVISION OF CHILDCARE RESPONSIBILITIES.   I MENTIONED THE FAMILY & MEDICAL LEAVE ACT EARLIER.  IT DOES REQUIRE UNPAID MATERNITY LEAVE FOR WOMEN WHO HAVE WORKED AT LEAST A YEAR FOR AN EMPLOYER WITH FIFTY OR MORE EMPLOYEES--BUT 78% OF WORKERS WHO NEED SUCH LEAVE SAY THEY SIMPLY CANNOT AFFORD UNPAID TIME OFF.   WHEN WE LOOK BEYOND THE U.S. TO THE REST OF THE WORLD, THE STATUS OF WOMEN IS OFTEN SHOCKING. IN THIRD WORLD COUNTRIES, CULTURE, RELIGION, AND LAW OFTEN DEPRIVE WOMEN OF BASIC HUMAN RIGHTS AND RELEGATE THEM TO ALMOST SUBHUMAN STATUS.   VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN IS A WORLDWIDE PROBLEM.    ONE OUT OF EVERY THREE WOMEN WORLDWIDE WILL BE PHYSICALLY, SEXUALLY, OR OTHERWISE ABUSED DURING HER LIFETIME, WITH RATES REACHING 70 PERCENT IN SOME COUNTRIES. THIS VIOLENCE AND ABUSE INCLUDES RAPE, DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, ACID BURNINGS, DOWRY DEATHS, AND SO-CALLED HONOR KILLINGS.  EVERY YEAR, VIOLENCE IN THE HOME AND THE COMMUNITY DEVASTATES THE LIVES OF MILLIONS OF WOMEN.    IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES,  PRESSURE ON GIRLS TO DROP OUT OF SCHOOL CONTINUES, AS DO INADEQUATE HEALTH CARE FOR GIRLS AND WOMEN, FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION,  KIDNAPPING WOMEN, FORCED AND CHILD MARRIAGES, PUBLIC FLOGGINGS, HONOR KILLINGS,  BRIDE BURNING,   ACID-SPRAYING OF FEMALE STUDENTS, ABORTIONS OF FEMALE FETUSES,  HIGH RATES OF MATERNAL MORTALITY,  FEMALE INFANTICIDE,  AND FORCED LABOR, INCLUDING SEXUAL SERVITUDE.  ACCORDING TO THE MOST RECENT STATISTICS RELEASED BY THE STATE DEPARTMENT, PERHAPS TWENTY-SEVEN MILLION PEOPLE ARE ENSLAVED WORLDWIDE.   IN RECENT TIMES,  IN THE SUDAN, THE CONGO, LIBYA, AND IRAQ, WE’VE SEEN RAPE USED AS A DELIBERATE MILITARY STRATEGY, A WEAPON OF WAR AND GENOCIDE.  EASTERN CONGO IS OFTEN DESCRIBED AS BEING THE MOST DANGEROUS PLACE IN THE WORLD TO BE A WOMAN.  THE UN ESTIMATES THAT A STAGGERING 200,000 WOMEN AND GIRLS HAVE BEEN VICTIMS OF RAPE OR SEXUAL VOLENCE IN THE CONGO DURING THE LAST FIFTEEN YEARS.   IN NUMEROUS PRISONS THROUGHOUT THE WORLD THERE ARE:  CONDITIONS OF IMPROPER TOUCHING BY PERSONS OF AUTHORITY, SANCTIONED SEXUAL HARASSMENT, UNNECESSARY STRIP SEARCHES, LACK OF PROPER MEDICAL ATTENTION AND PROPER FOOD, PSYCHOLOGICAL COERCION AND THREATS OF SEXUAL ASSAULT BY PERSONS IN AUTHORITY.   A JUNE 2008 REPORT BY THE QUAKER UN OFFICE OF HUMAN RIGHTS AND REFUGEES CONCLUDED THAT WOMEN IN PRISONS ALL AROUND THE WORLD ARE AT RISK OF RAPE, SEXUAL ASSAULT, AND TORTURE.   AT THE END OF 2009, IT WAS ESTIMATED THAT SLIGHTLY MORE THAN HALF OF THE 33.3 MILLION ADULTS WORLDWIDE LIVING WITH HIV/AIDS ARE WOMEN.  GENERALLY, WOMEN ARE AT GREATER RISK OF HETEROSEXUAL TRANSMISSION OF HIV.  BIOLOGICALLY, WOMEN ARE TWICE AS LIKELY TO BECOME INFECTED WITH HIV THROUGH UNPROTECTED HETEROSEXUAL INTERCOURSE THAN MEN. IN MANY COUNTRIES WOMEN ARE LESS LIKELY TO BE ABLE TO NEGOTIATE CONDOM USE AND ARE MORE LIKELY TO BE SUBJECTED TO NONCONSENSUAL SEX.  GLOBALLY, HIV/AIDS IS THE LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH AMONG WOMEN OF REPRODUCTIVE AGE.   EVERY SINGLE DAY, 1,000 WOMEN DIE WORLDWIDE FROM PREGNANCY- AND CHILDBIRTH-RELATED CAUSES .   UNFORTUNATELY, THE U.S. PRESENTS A POOR PICTURE WITH REGARD TO MATERNAL HEALTH CARE, TOO.  DESPITE SPENDING MORE MONEY ON MATERNITY CARE THAN ANY OTHER NATION IN THE WORLD--ABOUT $98 BILLION ANNUALLY--THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION RANKS THE U.S. 50TH IN MATERNAL MORTALITY.  THAT MEANS THAT IT RANKS BEHIND 49 OTHER COUNTRIES WHEN IT COMES TO MATERNAL DEATH RATES.  TWO TO THREE AMERICAN WOMEN DIE OF PREGNANCY OR CHILDBIRTH-RELATED CAUSES EVERY DAY.  AMERICAN WOMEN TODAY ARE TWICE AS LIKELY TO DIE IN CHILDBIRTH AS THEIR MOTHERS WERE.  MORE WOMEN DIE IN THE U.S. AFTER GIVING BIRTH THAN DIE IN POLAND, CROATIA, ITALY, AND CANADA, TO NAME A FEW.   THERE ARE MANY THINGS WE NEED TO WORK ON TO IMPROVE THIS RANKING.  WE NEED TO FOCUS ON THE HEALTH OF PREGNANT WOMEN, EXPAND OUR USE OF MIDWIVES AND DOULAS, AND CUT DOWN ON THE INDUCTION OF LABOR AND UNNECESSARY CESAREANS.   WOMEN BEAR A DISPROPORTIONATE BURDEN OF THE WORLD’S POVERTY.  STATISTICS INDICATE THAT WOMEN ARE MORE LIKELY THAN MEN TO BE POOR AND AT RISK OF HUNGER.  ACCORDING TO SOME ESTIMATES, WOMEN REPRESENT 70% OF THE WORLD’S POOR.      AN ARTICLE IN THE NYTIMES OF AUGUST 19, 2009,  BY NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF AND SHERYL WUDUNN CALLED “SAVING THE WORLD’S WOMEN” POINTED OUT THAT ONLY 1 PERCENT OF THE WORLD’S LANDOWNERS ARE WOMEN.      IN THE FACE OF THESE PROBLEMS, WE SEE THAT THERE IS MUCH WORK STILL TO BE DONE.  IN THINKING ABOUT THE PROGRESS WE’VE ACHIEVED AND THE PROBLEMS THAT STILL REMAIN,  I CAN’T SAY IT ANY BETTER THAN DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR., WHEN HE REFERRED TO CHANGES IN RACE RELATIONS IN A 1959 SPEECH.   “WE HAVE COME A LONG, LONG WAY.  WE HAVE A LONG, LONG WAY TO GO.”  AND THEN HE QUOTED THE WORDS OF AN OLD AFRICAN AMERICAN SLAVE PREACHER:  “LORD, WE AIN’T WHAT WE WANT TO BE; WE AIN’T WHAT WE OUGHT TO BE; WE AIN’T WHAT WE GONNA BE, BUT, THANK GOD, WE AIN’T WHAT WE WAS.” ------------------------

COPYRIGHT 2011 BY SONIA PRESSMAN FUENTES.

-----------   I’LL BE HAPPY TO TAKE YOUR QUESTIONS NOW.  BUT, FIRST, I’D LIKE TO REMIND YOU THAT I BROUGHT A FEW COPIES OF MY MEMOIR HERE THIS WEEK.  IT’S CALLED EAT FIRST--YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT THEY’LL GIVE YOU, THE ADVENTURES OF AN IMMIGRANT FAMILY AND THEIR FEMINIST DAUGHTER.  IT’S NOT LIKE MY TALK TODAY; IT’S A BOOK OF HUMOROUS AND SERIOUS STORIES ABOUT MY LIFE.   WE’RE ALL ANXIOUS TO GET TO THE AMPHITHEATER AFTER OUR Q&A TODAY BUT I’LL BE HERE WITH YOU ALL WEEK.  IF YOU’D LIKE TO BUY AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF MY BOOK, PLEASE SEE ME DURING THE WEEK. THE COST OF THE BOOK IS $22.99.     ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS?