Growing up in the midwest during the fifties, I (along with most of my friends) was raised with little ambition beyond attending college and finding a husband.
I assumed that my job would be to make a beautiful loving home for my husband and children. Career choices were limited. I remember as a young women career opportunities for women were pretty limited to nurse, social worker, sales clerk, and teacher.
I wasn’t concerned about “gender gaps, or the equal rights amendment, or sex discrimination.”
When I celebrated my sixtieth birthday, I sought to understand the challenges of life after sixty. Thus was born my interest not only in Betty Friedan, but in the other women who played such a huge role in shaping the lives of women today.
The struggle for American women began back when the suffragettes in the early 1900’s marched for our right to vote. Professional opportunities as in the medical or business field, let alone politics, were not yet a viable option.
Adlai Stevenson’s commencement address to the Smith Class of 1955 spoke of the role of women:
“Especially educated women, have a unique opportunity to influence us, men and boys … once immersed in the very pressing and particular problems of domesticity many women feel frustrated and far apart from the great issues and stirring debate for which their education has given them understanding and relish. Once they wrote poetry. Now it’s the laundry list. Once they discussed art and philosophy until late into the night. Now they are so tired they fall asleep as soon as the dishes are finished.”
Woman were defined politically by their roles as a wife, and mother…“to inspire in her home a vision of the meaning of life and freedom…to help her husband find values that will give purpose to his specialized daily chores…to teach her children the uniqueness of each individual human being.”
The psychologist of that day, Sigmund Freud, theorized that women envied men.
“It was woman’s nature to be ruled by man, and her sickness to envy him.”
Thankfully, we live today in a very different world today, and we owe much to the women who fought for this new world.
It’s important for all of us women to learn about these women. Recommended reading: Eleanor Flexner’s Century of Struggle, and biographies of Susan B. Anthony, Lucy Stone, Margaret Fuller, Elizabeth Cady Stanton.
When Betty Friedan came along in the 1960’s, she took the struggle to the next level proposing that women should be able to compete for jobs with men, and to have equal opportunity, not only in the work place but in every aspect of their lives.
She didn’t expect this struggle to be easily accomplished, and it hasn’t been. There was controversy, conflict, struggle, and according to Friedan, a great deal of misunderstanding.
The feminist movement of the 1960’s, like every movement, had its share of extremists. The media had plenty of fodder: bra burning, men hating, women taking their children away from their fathers to live in communes, just to name a few. To be a feminist took on derogatory meaning for many.
But she (and many others whose names we don’t know) persevered and today we are closer to the goal that Friedan set for us:
“Women …free finally to love and be loved, passionately, by men as fully equal human beings.”
How apropos and important for woman of all ages, and men, to understand how far women have come over the past forty to fifty years.
The struggle is not over.
I listen to our political candidates still talking about equal pay for equal work, equal opportunities for all. I look at women leaders, women represented in both state and national governing congresses, serving as governors of our individual states, and mayors of our cities.
Let’s not forget the accomplishments of Betty Friedan and the women who helped advance the cause of women: Those who recognized change was necessary, boldly spoke out, marched in the streets, and laid the ground work for a woman to compete for the nomination of one of our two major political parties for the highest office in the land.
Copyright 2008 Joan Frentz All Rights Reserved
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Joan Frentz’ life has come full circle. Diagnosed with arthritis in her neck, spine, hands and feet in her late 20s, Joan suffered years of discomfort and pain from the debilitating effects of severe bursitis in her hip joints. This did not prevent her from participating in sports activities, playing games of tennis, swimming, snow skiing, etc. with her children or even today with her grandchildren.
Now in her 70’s, Joan credits exercise for overcoming physical problems thus maintaining an energetic, active lifestyle. She says, “Exercise, exercise and exercise… slow and easy, never giving in to your discomfort, getting to know my body, becoming my own best advocate has made the difference.”
Joan, a California transplant, supposedly retired, turned her life long interest in dance and other physical activities to physical fitness training with an emphasis on the “older” women. A certified personal training instructor, Joan taught at her neighborhood fitness center, trained women in their home, and authored a general fitness column for a local weekly newspaper.
Prior to becoming involved in business as owner of three retail stores and owning and running a national catalog publishing company, Joan was involved in the dance community in her adopted hometown of Louisville, Kentucky. Her involvement, along with fellow board members, eventually led to the formation of the Louisville Ballet company, and Joan personally received a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, providing funding for dance programs in the inner-city public schools.
As a women business owner was actively involved in NAWBO, The National Association of Women Business Owners, as chapter charter member, chapter president, and served on National NAWBO committees, received Kentucky Women Business Advocate of the year, an elected as a Kentucky delegate to the 1995 White House Small Business conference.
Joan’s book, "Life Begins@Sixty," published in 2005 was the culmination of her desire to encourage and support women as they age in their effort to live a strong physical and mentally active life.
“Women are writing new chapters," says Joan. "Never before have women had the possibility let alone probability, of living as long. Regardless of your age, you are a new generation of women living longer and capable of becoming and staying physically fit you entire lifetime. It is one thing to exercise, another to know why. The more important question is, 'what do I want to do?' Your answers will open various trails and roads to explore in your quest for becoming and staying physically fit. My intention is to give you ideas, possibilities, not to tell you what to do. I want you to look inside, determine what suits your life, your lifestyle, and meets your particular needs.”
Joan is available as a motivational, keynoter speaker. She has appeared on various television and radio shows, served as guest lecturer on the Crystal Cruise Line, and Greenhouse Spa in Dallas, Texas. Her interpersonal style offers voluntary audience participation. Joan’s primary goal is for her audience to have fun…..and enjoy!
Life Begins@Sixty can be ordered on line at www.summerlandpublishing.com and at your favorite bookstore.
Contact Joan via email: j.frentz@cox.net, website: www.joanfrentz.com.
