Huge respect to women who became astronauts after growing up with crap like this

[kpete]

[djean111]

1. In the late sixties, I was working as a clerk at State Farm, and asked if I could be a programmer,

like my then-husband. This was before the days of programming being taught in college. I was condescendingly given a battery of "programmer aptitude" tests, and aced them. Oh noes! Then I was told that the company forbid married couples to work in the same department. And that I should stop this foolishness.

So I went to an employment agency and got an interview for a programmer trainee job at another big (in Illinois) insurance company. They were amused that I was a girl (I was always a "girl&quot , and asked me things like did I take birth control. Then they gave me the Official IBM Logic test or whatever, and I aced that, so they offered me a job. At less than I was making as a clerk. I think $60 a week.

At State Farm, after I turned in my notice, a manager two or three levels up from my manager came up to my desk, and told me that if I was a real woman, I would clerk until I got pregnant and then stay home, and he felt sorry for my husband. My supervisor told me, on my last day, at lunch, that when I took the aptitude tests when I first applied for a job, my scores were such that if I was a man they would have put me right into management fast track.

The programming job? Many years of fighting sexist battles, but eventually I did very well.

Back then, it was not so much that the cards were stacked against women - we were not even allowed to see the deck.

Must mention that all of my experiences, since then, made me demand an equal chance, not preferential treatment. That is the antithesis of what feminism was and is about.

[Octafish]

6. Thank you for sharing, djean111!

The men in my family, on both of my parents' families, have long believed in the importance of education for ALL members of the family.

My mom's grandfather (her mom's side, this is late 1890s) made certain his four daughters and one son earned college degrees.

My dad's grandfather (his dad's side, early 1900s) made certain his four daughters and five sons earned college degrees.

This was in Puerto Rico, just after the Spanish-American War, where my great-grandfather on my dad's side had settled after serving there in the US Army.

Many of my great-aunts and -uncles went into teaching as careers. All were people of integrity.

ETA: Today we are seeing new programs to encourage more young women to participate in the "STEM" fields. You and the women in my family are ahead of the Times -- and building a better world for those to come.

[DURHAM D]

2. That has got to be a mistake.

They forgot to include Librarian.

[ProfessorGAC]

3. That's Part Of The Subtext

You get that choice if you say you're choosing to not get married when you get older. We all know librarians are all little old women who never got married! You just had to know that!

[me b zola]

4. I wanted to be a roller derby queen

...or be a sea gypsy.

Recently I finally watched the series, 'Mad Men' and even though I grew up in the 60's the show was shocking to me. Funny how the brain forgets or minimizes the bad stuff from yesterday/year.

We've come a long way, baby, but we're not "there" yet.

[ryan_cats]

5. The

The horror. When do the calls for reparations go out?
Was this from last week or maybe the 60s?

[hamsterjill]

7. Thank you!

It is important that we remember that (not so distant) past!

I am a product of that time period, and I've been a feminist since I was born. I won't ever forget that those times existed, and I ask those younger than me to acquaint themselves with the time period, and continue to fight for equality for all.

[Victor_c3]

8. I'm a complete asshole and terrible parent

I have two daughters (5 and7) and they both tell me that they want to grow up to be scientists like me (their dad).

I tell them all the time that science is simply too hard for girls - and then I point out that where I used to work as a chemist I was the only male chemist of the 4 in the department, not to mention my boss and her boss were both women. Of the chemist, I also was the only chemist with a 4-year degree. The rest of them had masters degrees or higher.

Also, Marie Curie wasn't just the first woman to get a Nobel prize in chemistry - she was the first PERSON to get two Nobel prizes in different fields.

So I'm hoping they won't get any crazy ideas in their heads that women can be good at science.