Patti, and Tim MazatianFor our daughters, women’s suffrage and the 19th amendment are ancient history. Not that we personally can recall the fight, but through our grandmothers, great grandmothers and great aunts, we can recount the stories – the paramount importance of a woman’s right to be all that she can be. It’s part of our history, and it’s my fear that as generations become farther removed from the fight, they will neglect to recognize the importance of our battle for equality, which unfortunately, isn’t over.
In 1955, Housekeeping Monthly Magazine featured an article entitled “The Good Wife’s Guide.” Let me share some excerpts with you:
• Have dinner ready. Plan ahead, even the night before, to have a delicious meal ready, on time for his return. This is a way of letting him know that you have been thinking about him and are concerned about his needs. Most men are hungry when they come home and the prospect of a good meal (especially his favorite dish) is part of the warm welcome needed.
• Prepare yourself. Take 15 minutes to rest so you’ll be refreshed when he arrives. Touch up your make-up, put a ribbon in your hair and be fresh looking. He has just been with a lot of work-weary people.
• Be a little gay and a little more interesting for him. His boring day may need a lift and one of your duties is to provide it.
• Don’t complain if he’s late home for dinner or even if he stays out all night. Count this as minor compared to what he might have gone through that day.
The tips go on and on, but this is where you lost me. Don’t complain if he stays out all night?
According to the March 2010 issue of the Harvard Business Review, “Women represent just 3% of Fortune 500 CEOs and less than 15% of corporate executives at top companies worldwide.” That’s 170 years since women began realizing the inequity in our society. With that mind-boggling statistic, “You’ve come a long way, baby,” just doesn’t pack the intended punch.
Fortunately, by supporting one another, we are making great strides. The women featured in this issue of Focus on Women have come a long way. From playing on a woman’s football team to a talented designer creating clothes for what she terms “the modern woman,” these women are trailblazers following their dreams and doing what they love. And then, there are the women who overcome obstacles like Felicia whose husband left her homeless, penniless and with an insurmountable debt load. With a little help from a wonderful organization, Felicia started over by educating herself and making a life and home for her and her three children.
Inspiring women are what makes Focus on Women unique, and none are more inspiring than breast cancer survivors and those who are still in the fight. Focus on Women is proud to serve as a sponsor of the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure October 2nd in Houston to show our steadfast support of women and women’s health issues. We’ll be there race day in pink regalia, Stepping Out for a Cause. We invite you to join our team, FOW’s Stepping Out for a Cause, at www.Komen-Houston.org and step out with us. After all, we have come a long way, baby.
Stay focused!
Patti Parish-Kaminski
editor@FOWmag.com
