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A vibrant young woman, maybe age 30, sat next to me at a large dinner. She had traveled extensively throughout the world, lives in Mexico City, works at a nonprofit there, helping people better their lives, and that night was where she grew up in western Colorado to help her mom and grandma, who each had health difficulties. The story she told about her life captivated the whole table.
I’m just in awe of what girls and young women can do today.
She turned to me and asked me to tell her about my life. I relayed to her my experience as a child and adult. This accomplished young woman told me she found my life – which is probably like yours – amazing.
Ladies, do you know how much progress has been made for women’s rights? But, unfortunately, young women don’t get what was ordinary life not so long ago.
You know the old saying, “History repeats itself until we learn its lessons.” But, frankly, I don’t think women younger than us know how good they have it!
Here’s a recap of what I told her about my background.
In grade school (now called elementary school) and the rest of my education through the twelfth grade:
Girls were not allowed to wear pants to school
I froze, waiting for the bus
My mother, like many mothers, did not drive. Few kids got automobile rides to school
Many homes only had one-car garages
It was a very joyful day when we got our first television set – black and white
You could only answer the one phone we had when it rang a certain way because we were on a party line. (We shared the party line with an obstetrician, so the phone often rang in the middle of the night.)
Long-distance phone calls were expensive. I never remember talking to my grandparents, who lived in Casper, Wyoming, and Pueblo, Colorado
I did not know any divorced women. One of my aunts worked outside the home as a secretary. She was the only working woman I knew
I was required to take home economics and sewing
Girls were not allowed to take shop, home, and automobile repair classes. These skills would have been so helpful to me as an adult
Bare legs in the ninth grade were a no-no. Pantyhose were not available yet. So, I wore a garter belt and nylon stockings
Only boys were allowed to caddy at our nearby golf course. I never saw a woman play
My family and I watched Elvis Presley on the Ed Sullivan show. “The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll” was shown from the waist up.
We wore hats and sometimes doilies on our heads when we went to Most Precious Blood Catholic Church
Plastic bags did not exist. Clerks put groceries in brown paper bags. Store purchases were wrapped in brown paper and then securely tied with string
My dad would not allow me to attend the Beatles Concert at Red Rocks amphitheater, not far from our home
I do not remember any female broadcasters at Denver’s four television stations
My parents insisted I take shorthand and typing, in case something happened to my future husband. I learned to type on a manual typewriter. Students rotated working on the two new electric typewrites in the second year of typing. (I am thankful my parents made me take these classes because after getting a degree from the University of Colorado School of Business in 1969, the only job I could get was a secretarial position at Denver’s Samsonite Corporation.)
I flew for the first time at age 19. My mother, who died in 1964, never did fly.
From age 20 to approximately age 35:
I married at age 20 and took birth control pills, which were recently available
Jobs were listed in the Sunday newspaper. The “job section” was broken down into “Help Wanted Male” and “Help Wanted Female”
Our house and automobile Allstate agent, a man, would only talk to my husband. Since 1986 I have had a woman Allstate agent
I attended the University of Colorado Graduate School of Business and was only one of two women who attained a master’s degree in marketing. One of the funny things I remember from my advertising classes is that “belly buttons” were never shown. They were airbrushed out. Oh, who could forget the keypunch cards for the computer that was as enormous as a gigantic room? (I giggle whenever I look at my Apple Watch on my wrist. It is far more powerful and friendly than that “thing” ever was!)
Although I had been a homeowner with my then-husband since 1968, my name was not allowed on telephone or utility companies’ accounts. This was also true for the one credit card we had. I remember credit cards were a new thing back then. (Denver’s major department stores had a credit card that I remember using in high school when my mother, who was gravely ill, sent me shopping
In 1981, there was a fatal accident on one of the job sites my husband worked on. I remember demanding that my name be put on all accounts because we had three children and a large house in case something would happen to him. A new law that allowed this action had recently been passed.
I was not active in the Women’s Movement. I have never burnt a bra. I have participated in the Women’s March since 1917.
When I am with my daughters and their families this holiday season, I’m going to talk about many of these items. I hope you share your memories with your friends and family and with us in the comments section of this blog site. It’s incredible where we’ve been, ladies. As the famous ad slogan went – “You’ve Come Along Way Baby!”
Disclaimer: Since its inception in 2013, this blog has not been financially or otherwise supported by any company or entity.
Copyright – Elizabeth J. Wheeler, December 5, 2021
