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Education through Generations of Women By Julia Hage-Welsh Women throughout history have worked tirelessly to fi ght for their equal position in a world set up for the success of men. Women working to gain space in education, specifi - cally higher education, is a story fi lled with the breaking of societal norms and consistent challenging of processes. When the women of history were told “this is how it has always been,” they stood up and responded “that doesn’t mean that is how it should be” and challenged to improve access for themselves, generations to come, and other marginalized groups. As a woman born in the 1990s, going to college was something fairly accessible to me. Getting the chance to expand my education to a master’s degree was within reach as another step in my journey of education. I feel incredibly lucky to have been able to attend college and attain my degrees, though, in today’s day and age, while it is an accomplishment, it is much more common than it has been for generations past. For women of my grandmother’s generation, higher education at any level was out of the norm and was not always supported. My sister and I are in the very uncommon position that not only were we supported to explore higher education, but that we are the third generation of women in our family to attain both bachelor’s and master’s degrees. Let’s take a look into the world of another generation. My paternal grandmother (Mary) was born in 1916, my maternal grandmother (Connie) was born in 1939. For reference, World War I was 1914 – 1918; the worldwide infl uenza epidemic was 1918-20; women gaining the right to vote was in 1920; the Great Depression was 1929-33; and World War II was 1939-45. Mary had 4 children between 1941 and 1952, and Connie had 9 children between 1961 and 1978. In 1972, the enactment of Title IX occurred, which put into federal law the guarantee that the right to education was free from sex discrimination. For my grandmothers, the years of their births through their 20s were jam packed with barriers and Page 4 historical events, enough to discourage an individual from working to create positive change for themselves and for others around them. Luckily, both of them were women who fought the status quo. Mary earned both a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree prior to 1943, and Connie earned her bachelors in 1965 and her masters in 1970. Both were mothers, professionals and educators, but most of all independent, strong-working, infl uential women. While education has not always been an equal opportunity for all, I am proud to say I know both my grandmothers worked diligently not only to fi ght for their own education, but to fi ght for the opportunity of suppressed and marginalized groups to be able to gain access to education. Mary and her husband (my Papa Al) worked diligently and fought for educational opportunities for their daughter Mary Lou, who was born in 1945 with disabilities. At a time when individuals with disabilities and exceptionalities were not provided resources, my grandparents fought to change this reality. Multiple schools and educational systems told my grandparents that there were no resources to give their child education and that she could not attend their school. Mary used her education and background to navigate and fi ght for the educational rights of Mary Lou, in turn making a large impact on what resources were available to future generations of students in need. Connie was not only highly educated, but she used that education to teach high school students about social justice in our world and how to stand up for rights for all. Working together, Connie and her husband (my Papa Tom), raised nine children will she earned her degrees and taught high school and Tom ran a family painting business. For both of my grandmothers, their education and the education of their children were education was a priority. These women challenged the society expectation that a husband would be the sole provider while the women were caregivers. Instead they became educated, leading voices in their community. In addition to their individual success, I would be remiss to mention that they were also lucky enough to have partners in life who supported their rights to education. Both my papas encouraged and made space for their wives to be outside of the home creating positive change, not only for themselves but for Toledo and for others. As more women in my life continue to gain access to higher education, I am excited about the notion that, moving forward, women attaining higher level degrees and being forefront leaders in male-dominated industries becomes the norm. I hope that these educated women will bring a tsunami to all professional settings, providing diverse and varied thought processes and backgrounds to what has been established for centuries. With more diverse and varied thinking, we have no choice but to grow, learn and become stronger as a society. And as for my grandmas, my mom, my sister, and all the women in my life who have worked to attain higher education, thank you for being inspirational to me and to other women around you. You are the ones creating change and challenging the norms. And if you want to see a leading woman in action, check out Grandma Connie’s article below. the right to vote, thus participation in government. Gradually and very slowly women are being recognized for their gifts for governance. Today, approximately 25 percent of Congress are women and we have a female vice president. Another area of immediate concern is that of job security. The pandemic has caused a “she-cession” as women are forced to leave the workforce to care for children. Yet women have always been behind in pay. As of 2014, women who worked full-time, year-round earned 79 percent as much as their male counterparts, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. Admittedly it is an improvement since the 1960s when the pay gap was 59 percent. The term “glass ceiling” refers to invisible barriers to success that women encounter. As we look back at the last century, we can see how women are making progress and shattering that glass ceiling, not just in politics but in other arenas. Nancy Dickerson, as the fi rst Julia and Connie at Julia's Graduation. Struggles Faced by Women in Society: A Brief Discussion Connie Huss-Boyle I am privileged to have had a special father, born in 1895, who believed it was necessary to educate all women because we hold a prominent position in infl uencing the future generations. My loving husband also urged me to complete my goal of being an educator, admittedly a “safe” vocation for a woman. Yet history shows that society, cultural bias and even language have, over the years, provided obstacles to women’s success. For example, look at the use of masculine and feminine nouns in the English language. James Beattie in his 1851 Theory of Language, said “the male being, according to our ideas, (is) the nobler sex.” In 1850, the British Parliament passed an act declaring that the use of the generic “they” should be replaced with the pseudo-generic “he.” “A woman should know her place” was a common statement regarding roles in society and – in some places – still persists. It took almost 100 years for very brave women and certainly some supportive men to win women and poor people female TV reporter in 1960, paved the way for Barbara Walters, Diane Sawyers, Katie Couric, Judy Woodruff and Cokie Roberts. On local TV stations the presence of women is a given. In other spheres of study of women’s advancement, however, much is desired. The presence of women authority fi gures is defi nitely lacking in many institutional church settings, and on the corporate level, only 6.6% of CEOs are women, according to Pew Research. From this brief glimpse of some aspects of the place of women in society we recognize some advancement, but also we are very aware of continual painstaking work that is needed so that all women will realize their true dignity. One of my favorite quotes is from the late Ann Richards, who was the governor of Texas in the 1990s: “After all, Ginger Rogers did everything that Fred Astaire did. She just did it backwards and in high heels!” All of us, women and men, have gifts to offer the world, but only when ALL of us have the opportunities, the encouragement, and the freedom to share will our world be better, what it could be! Fostering Community

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