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POV— WOMEN IN THE WORKFORCE By: Terrance Hazly
For years women’ s role in the work place has been a topic of discussion ranging from safety and wages to discrimination and harassment. It seems to me these days a lot of the younger females have forgotten or just don’ t know about the solidarity movements and sacrifices that have taken place just to advance them this far to ensure them that their voice is heard.
Some squander the opportunity for employment while others are simply comfortable getting by for whatever reason they deem necessary. Just as it goes for us men the same goes for women, the children need to see the one( s) who are bringing them up and raising them striving to be the best they can be in this world we live so they know that they must do the same. It’ s not a man or woman thing to do, it’ s an adult thing to do. A strand of our human DNA we need to re-shape and build. I recently had the time to sit down and speak with a couple women on their feelings and experiences in the workplace as well as their thoughts about what young women need to do and be aware of. The discussions went as followed.
Subject X, who supports a small family and has been out in the work field since she was eighteen first started with a clerical job working for Roadway. Being in that field for almost fifty years and working every day you can bet she has been a part of and seen the fight in some way, shape, or form to further the working women’ s cause. Loving her environment, working in the trucking atmosphere and having positive relationships with her bosses is something she still takes pride in even after she was laid off for a year. Now finding work in the telemarketing field, she likes her current job for being stress free but has stated she made more money working in the trucking field. We spoke a lot on the topic of age discrimination and she let it be known to me that she has contacted the president( current and or past) numerous times by letter about age discrimination but to no avail. She says“ Young women should get a job and hold it for security. All they care about is age no matter how good you look!!” Subject X also went on to say“ I am qualified for a lot of good jobs, age is a problem and that isn’ t fair. I don’ t have any advice for young girls to get jobs because they get all the jobs.”