Show The Eagle-pag- e 6 Thursday May 11 1989 Women of the 80s faced and overcame many challenges by Kirsten Christensen news editor Since the turn of the century Utah women in the work force has jumped from 13 percent to 59 percent today By the year 2000 of the working-ag- e women will be in the workforce Gcri Petersen an employer representative for Utah Job Services and mother of three explained issues of women's employment in part of her opening address for die 12th Annual Women's Conference sponsored by the College of Eastern Utah and the Carbon County Chamber of Commerce on April 28 The theme for this year’s conference was "Have we met the challenges of the 80s?" Petersen said that it is estimated that by the end of this century women will hold nearly half of all the jobs in Utah "Lifestyles and attitudes have changed in the 80s Women on the average arc better educated more of us have built successful careers in positions once reserved for 'men only' and more of us arc working" Petersen said "Unfortunately the issues of women's employment have changed little Suffragettes in the 1880s expounded much the same ideology as women in the 1980s What was called "emancipation" then is called 'equal rights' to- day” she said "Today the best paying jobs for Utah women are still the best paying jobs for Utah men like managers doctors and lawyers However women's earnings in those professions do not begin to approach the comings of men As a matter of fact the 1979 median two-thir- ds income for Utah women with four years of college was less than the median income of Utah men with a seventh grade education" :hc said Some of the reasons for the gap is that women continue to choose stereo-type- d female careers that arc lower paying they enter and exit employment as family responsibilities need them to and women arc discriminated against Petersen said "There is no other way to explain the discrepancy” More women are joining the labor force despite the inequalities injustice and prejudice Petersen said The exodus from the home to the labor force is increasing because more women are single single women comprise over half of the female labor force and for those who are married two incomes arc often needed to support their families The median income of young families dropped nearly 25 percent between 1973 and 1986 Generally women are more educated "Utah has always the national average in the percentage of the female population completing four years of college" she said After Petersen's address workshops in three separate challenges facing women today were offered "Mini Profit Centers in the Home" was presented by Dixie Barksdale an Economic Development professional for the Southeastern Utah Association of Local Governments "Super-womeMyth vs Reality” was presented by Chloc Merrill PhD the chairperson of Weber State College's Department of income-earnin- g out-distanc-ed n: Superwomen: Myth vs Reality "Why do we as women over schedule Child and Family Studies in the School of Education and "Women in Politics" was presented by Paula Julandcr a a registered nurse who is a State Representative from Salt Lake County's District 24 Non-tradition- careers al Three women in jobs spoke candidly about their experiences and personal triumphs in their professions Shannon DcAun Hocfflcr is a district engineer with the Bureau of Land Management where she ensures quality control on technical information for underground mine operations in Utah She said she has been fortunate in her career since the BLM has specific guidelines for equality among employees Marilyn Robinson is the Carbon-Emer- y area manager for First Security Bank where she supervises daily flow of work for bank branches in the two counties She began her banking career as a teller and is the only woman area manager in the First Security organization She said that her pay is comparable to men in her position but it took her much longer to reach that level non-traditio- male-dominat- ed JudyHamakeraUtah Highway Patrol trooper said that when she wanted to apply as a Carbon County sheriffs deputy after working four ycqrs as a dispatcher she was told that women could not be law enforcement officers She has been with the patrol for five years and is one of three women troopers who arc "on the road” She will be graduating this year from Weber State College with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice Keynote speaker Lynne Finney said "You arc clearly concerned with the problems women face I am a relative new comer to Utah and I have certainly found more problems here than in other states" Finney is an attorney psychotherapist and writer She was the United Nations Policy Advisor and an attorney-advisto the for DevelInternational Agency opment and a US Delegate to the UN conferences on economic development "But as bad as the problems of women may be in Utah they pale against the problems women face in other countries" she said "While women represent 50 percent of the world's adult population and d of the official labor face they perform nearly of all working hours receive only 10 percent of the world's income and own less than me percent of the world's or lives? The pressure to be superwomen means being i wonfcn with unrealistic expectations Why do we succumb to the pressure? Why do we buy such an absurd package?" asked Chloc Merrill It's the syndrome of 'I'm tired of being student Chloo Morrill educator daughter mother wife neighbor volleyball team member and friend" Merrill said In trying to perfect everything nothing gets done very well "The feeling of guilt for not being all things to all people is exhausting” Why be willing to sacrifice oneself to ulcers and premature burial? she asked "Where and when did we get sucked into believing that being a liberated woman is being an over scheduled woman who has several identities?" Merrill asked "The resulting consequences of these extremely lofty female expectations are mental and physical fatigue stress suffering from guilt frustration divorce child delinquency and disrupted families” she said (Continued on Pnge 6) Paula Julandar Although the United States docs not bum women or mutilate them we are not the furthest along in obtaining the rights of women "We are definitely not on top At least eight other countries have made more progress Ireland Venezuela the Netherlands Sweden Denmark Norway Finland and Great Britain and perhaps Cuba and Vietnam" she ds property The bws and customs of many countries not only favor men but permit the subjugation humiliation and even mutibtion of women" Finney said In Saudi Arabia women can not drive cars walk on the street alone show their faces or travel without permission of their husbands she said "Arab women arc forbidden to display the outlines of their body their hair face and eyes But Arab women are not the most oppressed Women arc still burned in India if their families "Only 69 years ago women were granted the right to vote Most women at that time did not exercise their right to vote only two percent made that step into the public voting booth and cast a ballot In 1986 however 4 JS percent more women than men went to the polls to vote Ten million more women than men are registered to vote” Paula Julander said Though the overall number of women directly involved in the lawmaking and governing process is very small they play an important role in government Julander said Women were the instigators in policies and programs such as drafting the measure that funded bookmobiles creating a new cabinet called the Department of Education and establishing a national wilderness preservation system she said In Utah only 1 percent of the state legislators are women while some states have over 32 percent women representation Utah gets cheated by not having a balanced legislature not only in the comparison of republicans and democrats but also in men and women she said li plained one-thir- two-thir- Mini or bride price They may also be killed if their husband or his family decide they want another bride price "But women in Africa suffer the most These women face storms drought starvation and disease with unbelievable stoicism But that is not the worst These women are mutilated by their tribes and relatives Some tribes cut off parts of their women's genitals believing that their acts will keep the women faithful Women are cut at a very young age with primitive knives and without anesthesia Some become infected and die" she ex- Third World Women Women In Politics our fail to pay their dowry said "We can gain perspective on our own problems by looking at those of other women Woman of the year Jan Olivcto was named "Outstanding Woman of Carbon County for 1989" Olivcto has held several local offices and state offices with Utah Girl Scouts Utah Press Women and others She has been a fund raiser for Notre Dame School as well as a volunteer for several other organizations Profit Centers In the Home "An alarming statistic recently revealed that more j1 than one half of the women in Utah work for 20 years at minimum wage" Barksdale said A lack of skills a need for education lack of support at home and a need ru to remain at home to raise a family all contribute to the low wages of women K13 Dlxl Barktdl inUuhstesald The last factor often stimulates women to begin looking at the home for establishing a profit center she said "The idea of running a home-base- d business apmillions to of Americans" Barksdale peals strongly said An AT&T survey showed that 13 percent of the US households are home to a business More than e half of these businesses are operations providing the bulk of the household income she said There are key points to be considered before entering into entrepreneurship Not everyone is equipped to handle Barksdale explained comes before Also there is a need for creative problem solving and organizational skills are essential she said The last key point is having a sense of humor full-tim- ent Self-discipli- ne |