Women in the Sex Industry

Introduction

The first adult novelty store, or “sex shop”, was opened in 1962 in Germany, and now in 2009, sex shops, though taboo, have become a regular part of our society and are becoming increasingly more mainstream. The controversy with all adult and pornographic items is twofold: first, sex in general encounters its own moral and religious controversies, and second, many view the pornographic videos and adult novelties sold in sex shops to be sexist: degrading and devaluing to women and designed only for the pleasure of men. Sex shops are still taboo in our society and carry a great social stigma, especially for consumers. However, in a time when sexuality is evolving to become a larger part of mainstream society and feminist have started to embrace “sex-positive feminism,” where does that leave the sex shop. Sex-positive feminism holds that women have the right to self-determination in sex, the right to pleasure, and that women should embrace their sexuality. It follows that sex shops, which sell a variety of sex toys designed for women’s pleasure and self-exploration, could play a central role in a woman’s sexuality. How do feminists feel about sex shops? It varies like any issue, especially concerning pornography. Self proclaimed “feminist” sex shops do in fact exist, but even for the run of the mill adult novelty store, items that aid in a women’s pleasure, particularly self-induced pleasure, certainly evoke principles of sex-positive feminism. Society certainly does not perceive adult novelty stores in such a way, but what about the women who work inside the store? What do they think?

Purpose of Research

The purpose of our research was to investigate what it is like to be a woman working in a sex shop, an atypical workplace typically perceived to be a sexist environment full of videos and merchandise designed to please men and degrade women in the process. We wondered what the women selling sex toys and pornography to a male-dominated clientele thought about their job. Did they enjoy their work? Did they self-identify as feminists? Did they find the merchandise they sold to be degrading, or did they see it as being sex-positive for women? It seemed an interesting world to us – to be women in an industry built to please men. Did they experience any discrimination or harassment in the workplace? Decades after the sexual revolution, we were wondering where sex-positive feminism stood in regard to sex shops, pornography, and the adult industry as a whole and what we could learn from the women working there. We interviewed three women who worked at, owned, or managed local sex shops in the Athens area. The first, Sharon from Sexy Suz Adult Emporium, was a white women in her late twenties. The second was Piper, 22, a white, transgender woman who worked at Elations. Our last interview was with Tina, an African-American women in her late twenties who worked at Southern Video. Our subjects offered different perspectives in terms of race and gender, but the context for the subjects’ experience in a sex shop is a constant between the three of them since they all work in Athens and serve a similar customer base.

Interviewees

Sharon, Sexy Suz

Sharon is the manager of Sexy Suz Adult Emporium in Athens. She is a petite white woman in her late twenties who is very open and forthcoming about her job. “I just have a really awesome job,” she shares in her interview. 3 years ago, she started as a clerk at the Sexy Suz in Rome, GA, and not long ago was asked to manage the Athens location. Sharon feels empowered by her job in several ways: first, she feels empowered by serving in a higher-level management position usually reserved for men. She absolutely loves her job, and she also feels that through the wealth of knowledge that she has gained about sex, sex toys, lubricants, pornography, etc. that she has been empowered to educate other people about safe and pleasurable sex. The reactions Sharon receives from people people in response to her occupation are varied. Some people turn their nose up at her, and seem to immediately think “smut” or “crime” when she mentions it. Some people jump straight to thinking about religion and morality. However, Sharon says that the majority of reactions she gets are positive, and the positive reactions are increasing every day. People are curious, and sex shops are becoming more and more accepted and mainstream in our society. Sharon also clears up many misconceptions that our society seems to have about her workplace. “People just automatically think that the creepiest people come in here!” she says, yet she claims she has seen creepier people while working a typical mall retail job than at Sexy Suz. The customers she serves are nice, average people. Another misconception she clears up is that the products are all for men – she says her store serves roughly 50% men and 50% women, and that most products made for self-exploration can be used for dual pleasure by a couple. And finally, Sharon makes sure we know that not all sex shops are “dirty” or “seedy.” They are respectable retail stores like any other place.

Sharon's Experiences: SharonInterview.WAV

Piper, Elations

Piper, a 22-year-old transgender woman, works at Elations, another sex shop in Athens. She finds Elations to be a positive, non-discriminatory environment with diversity of race, gender and sexuality, and feels very empowered by that. She also says she does not receive much negative response about her job from the outside world. “Everybody loves sexual pleasure,” she says. “I don’t see why people are uncomfortable about it because everybody does it.” Interestingly, Piper says Elations’ merchandise caters almost exclusively to a female costumer base – except the videos, which are purchased mostly by men. Women are purchasing toys for their own sexual pleasure. They are embracing their sexuality and self-exploration in order to please themselves.

Tina, Southern Video

Tina is the only sex shop employee we spoke to who complained of sexual harassment. She was very forthright with it and brought it up without being prompted. “These men who come in here need to stop being perverts,” she asserts. She says they talk to her suggestively about pornography and genitals, and they also ask her to sleep with them. It seems with this, and with the comment about her having a lot of “freaky stuff,” that people assume Tina is promiscuous simply because she works in an adult novelty store. It is the virgin/whore dichotomy, which is something sex-positive feminism is trying to break down. Women should be able to embrace their sexuality and have the right to pleasure, without being whores.

Conclusion

Adult novelty stores have a steady place in our society and are not going anywhere. Their perception by the mainstream must change though – especially since they exist in a large part to aid and enhance women’s self-exploration and pleasure, and actually support sex-positive feminism. They are not all “seedy” and “dirty,” and the customers who frequent the stores are your average people. The clerks are knowledgeable people who can advise about sexual products and safety. And it seems for at least some women, the job is empowering and fun, and they enjoy the positive, open environment. Adult novelty stores carry a stigma that in most cases seems outdated and a product of a strange society that simultaneously glorifies and demonizes sex, throws it in our faces and sweeps it under the rug. Feminists even carry a stigma that does not hold up under investigation. The majority of products in the stores are meant for women’s pleasure alone, and thus the stores should be upheld as institutions promoting sex-positive feminism rather than degrading women.

Group Reflection

This project was quite eye-opening for our group, and we each learned a lot. The ladies we interviewed turned many of our misconceptions upside down, like that most of the products were actually for women. None of us had actually ever been inside an adult novelty store, and we believed them to be taboo and believed the stigmas society had created were true. A lot of the information was surprising, like that Sharon felt she could help educate people and could help them practice safe sex – none of us ever imaged sex shop clerks to be so educated, knowledgeable, serious, or helpful. We all really loved doing the interviews and talking to these women, and we really appreciate the way they opened up to help us with our project!

*NOTE: Each woman interviewed requested not to have any photos/videos of herself posted on our blog

Pressures on Women in the Modeling Industry

INTRODUCTION

In today’s society there is an obsession with body appearance and the role the media plays in determining what is considered beautiful. Young women all over the country see these incredibly thin models in magazines and on television commercials and strive tirelessly to achieve this unattainable image. In many cases their obsession can lead to serious illnesses such as anorexia or bulimia. In the 2004 article by Kelley Massoni entitled “Modeling Work: Occupational Messages in Seventeen Magazine”, the author discusses how the process of genderizing begins very early and is heavily influenced by what children see and read in the media. According to Helga Ditmar and Sarah Howard’s article “Professional Hazards?” The impact of models’ body size on advertising effectiveness” many women in western cultures appearance is central to their self-definition. Women’s body image and the way it relates to their own sexuality has been a very important aspect of the feminist movement in the past century. By showing that they own their bodies, they have fought to fight off the way men perceive them and find their own self-identity. Our class reading, “Sexualities, Identities, and Self-Determination” discusses in detail many ways in which women are finding their own self-identity. In the modeling industry, women have learned to master their control over their bodies. As we continue to further our research with the women we are interviewing, we will see how these real models feel they agree with this.

PURPOSE OF RESEARCH

The purpose of our research is to explore the pressures that young women face in the modeling industry. Our objective is to ask them questions to see how being a model impacts their lives and how that affects their body image and self-confidence. We want to know the women’s opinion on how modeling may positively or negatively impact their lives and how it may change how they view themselves and others. Through this project we seek to get an inside look on an industry that has a wide-spread impact on young women everywhere. We interviewed three different models to see if/how they have to cope with societal pressures of being skinny and fitting a certain appearance. The three models we interviewed are; Sarah Pope, Caitlin Gonick, and Ashley Hill. One reason we decided to interview these girls was because they were all close to us in age. We also thought these girls would be beneficial to the success of our research, because they were all well experienced in the modeling industry. We wanted to find out if their self-image has changed at all as a result of modeling and if so, how they decided to go about dealing with having to change their appearances.

INTERVIEWS

Sarah Pope

The first model our group interviewed is a junior at the Kennesaw State University named Sarah Pope. When people first hear that she is a model she is often approached with negative stereotypes, which question her intelligence. Sarah happens to be a Biology major. Sarah got started in the modeling industry as a child when she was approached by an agent while working as an extra in a movie. She chose to model for her specific agency because they did not force her to change who she is. “It’s not going to be my career, but I enjoy spending minimal amount of time for the amount of money that I get.” She explained to us that the classic movie stars such as Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn were her big influences to get started in fashion and modeling. Sarah has done many different types of modeling including runway, showrooms, modeling for individual stores, and wholesale modeling. She told us that even though there is a lot of pressure to be incredibly thin, she feels comfortable with her body image. Her agency typically signs models from sizes 4 to 6, however she explained that there are agencies who want their models to be sizes 2 or lower. Sarah told us that eating disorders are very common in the type of modeling that she does. “Some girls talk about the two cornflakes and raisin that they ate in a day… tiny, model lunch, it’s interesting.”

Caitlin Gonick

Elizabeth and Brie met Caitlin Gonick, a 22 year old model from Atlanta, Georgia. At first glance, it was noticable that she was naturally very beautiful and thin. Caitlin does not attend college, and modeling is her full-time job. She has worked for several companies, doing advertisements for Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s, and other clothing companies, which include Guess and Jovani. Caitlin’s sister owns a restaurant in Atlanta, where many people who are involved in the modeling industry work. When eating dinner one night there, an agent asked her if she would like to get involved in the modeling industry. After working a few runway shows, Caitlin’s family really motivated her to become a full-time model. All the members of her family convinced her that she should "use her beauty and passion for the style industry as her career." Despite her natural way of being thin, Caitlin admitted to feeling the pressures of magazines, such as Vogue and Glamour, and the models who work the runway for top designers, to stay thin, or become even thinner. Celebrities, she said, also influence her to try to look as beautiful as she can when working. Caitlin told us that “when she tells people, men in particular, that she is a model, she feels that the men only talk to her and are interested in her because of her appearance.” In the end, despite the pressures that Caitlin has felt because of the modeling industry, she told us that she feels secure about her body and herself because her family and friends support her in everything she does and accepts her for the person she is, not because of what she looks like or her career as a model.

Ashley Hill

Our third and final interview was Ashley Hill. She has been modeling for three years. She was approached by a modeling agent while shopping at the Mall of Georgia. Heidi Klum is a woman who inspires her because of her extreme courage and show of strength in leaving her home in Germany to come to the United States to pursue her dreams even though she did not know anyone. Ashley stated that "The pressure to look thin is always there but you have to have enough confidence in your own body to overcome what other people want you to be". She believes that men view her as a stuck up and shallow person because she is a model. She also mentioned that "men view her more as an object than as a person". In response to our question regarding body image pressures Ashley responded "I have good genes, thin runs in my family, but I know that when models see someone thinner than them they feel that pressure to achieve 'ultra skinny'. This goes back to being confident in your own skin". Overall Ashley gave an approach of confidence and positivity towards the pressures involved in the world of modeling, even though she is constantly confronted with them.

Conclusion

After interviewing these three women regarding their experiences in modeling, they all provided us with both a positive image of modeling and also enlightened us on the negative aspects of as well. Caitlin, our third interviewee, really explained how she has relied on her family and friends for extra support. All our models have a very positive attitude towards their body images and do not let the pressures from the modeling world affect their careers. Although they have noticed how the industry does have an affect on other models, the models we interviewed were strong women who have broken the stigma and overcome the cruel industry and their harsh standards.

Group reflection

This project was very interesting and informative. The women we interviewed gave us great insight into the world of modeling. We learned that many of the stereotypes people and society hold about models are untrue. We felt the women were very candid and open about the good and bad things that happen in the industry. The project was a great experience for all of us because we were able to get a real life story on a topic that we are inundated with everyday. This really gave the group a different perspective on models and the impact the modeling industry has on them. For instance, we learned about the unhealthy pressures agencies can put on models. However, we were pleased to find out that one model, Sarah Pope, signed with her agency because they did not push her to be smaller than her natural, healthy size. Overall, this was a positive experience that taught the group a lot about the modeling industry and the women involved in it.

Mothers Who Support Their Gay Children

Introduction

Individuals that are a part of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities face the apprehensive task of coming-out to their family, friends and society in general. Certain cultures have placed a social and moral stigma on homosexuals and transgenders. This collective stigma results in the seclusion and absolute loneliness experienced in the lives of the people in the LGBT community. Coming-out in this society is often marked with fear and negativity which culminates the process as a negative occurrence. The disadvantages with being a homosexual or a supporter of the community, is deeply rooted in the patriarchal system that have permeated cultures in all spectra of civilizations. Patriarchy denounces a woman's choice in sexuality solely based on the factor that it jeopardizes a man's access to sexual pleasure with a woman if she chooses to favor other women. A part of the patriarchal system is the promotion of heterosexism which creates a climate of homophobic tendencies. In response to the negativeness revolved around the subject, we have decided to interview a heterogeneous mix of mothers from all aspects of life; culturally, economically, socially and politically. As a result we hope to create a more positive response to the process of coming-out with interviews of mothers who have and are supporting their gay/lesbian children.

Purpose of Research

The purpose of our research is to find three mothers who support their gay children. We wanted to show the different backgrounds, reactions, and support displayed by these women. Through the interviews, we learned the complex nature and balance of fear, acceptance, and unwavering love between gay children and their mothers. We specifically interviewed mothers who supported their gay children in order to have an uplifting discussion over a controversial issue. We chose women that are inspirational and provide a positive feminist message through their encouragement for their daughter or son. By interviewing mothers who support their gay children, we are demonstrating how a guideline of acceptance will serve as an example to parents of gay children on how to support and promote them in every aspect of life.

Interviewees

Lucy

Our first interview was with Lucy. She is a southern mother with a 23-year-old gay son named Joey. When Lucy found out about Joey being gay she knew nothing different to love him just like she loved him her whole life. She thinks that no mother should change their feelings or treat their gay children differently because they are the same children they raised since birth. In Lucy's opinion the reason why it is such a difficult issue when children come out to their parents is due to the negative stigma attached socially and religiously. She sympathizes with gay boys and girls who feel lost because they live in such a critical and cruel world, but who also do not have someone in their lives that they can get support from. The only values that Lucy was raised with dealt with not stealing, cheating, or lying. She has raised her son to have those same values, and feels sexual orientation is not the slightest of an issue. "The best thing they can do is to work on themself, and the rest will fall into place."

Nancy

Our second interview was with Nancy. She is originally from New Jersey but lives in Washington, DC, and has a 21 year old gay son named Stephen. Nancy had an intuition about her son's sexuality from a young age, and this motivated her to become more involved in politics and the gay movement. Although Nancy comes from a more conservative and religious family, she never felt shame, guilt or disapproval in relation to her son's sexuality. The natural worries associated with having a gay child such as the fear of rejection, along with any potential emotional or physical harm were always felt by Nancy, but living in a more the more liberal environment of Washington, DC comforted her a great deal. Nancy feels very proud of her son for having the courage to come out about his sexuality at a younger age, and is happy that he felt comfortable enough with his environment to do so. She thinks that the most important thing for other mothers with gay children to understand is that after your son or daughter comes out, they are still the same person.

Nancy

Marian

Our final interview was with a mother named Marian. She is Puerto Rican and has a 27 year old lesbian daughter named Alicia. Marian supports her daughter and feels that every person, no matter what, deserves to live the way the want and be accepted no matter what. She has accepted Alicia's sexuality from the beginning and said she was not shocked at all. She believes most mothers have an idea about their child's sexuality from the beginning but most are in denial and refuse to believe it for a while. Marian attends gay events and also shows her support by letting other mothers know they should want their child to be happy and to be happy one must be who they are. She worries about gay people who feel they can not come out or be themselves and feels people need more support. Since she does have several other gay people in her family she has experienced this first hand and seen both ends of the spectrum. She tries to be a support system for other family members who may be suffering from identity crises, depression, and other issues due to lack of support or feelings of rejection because of their sexuality. With all the problems gay men and women have to face it is good to know there are mothers like Marian who support their children no matter what.

Marian and her daughter Alicia

Conclusion

The most important and influential aspect in any man or woman’s life is the feeling of acceptance, and the family unit is the foundation upon which an individual can grow both mentally and physically because of the unconditional love shared by family members. Unfortunately for members of the gay community in today’s society gaining acceptance from their families is easier said than done. The problems that accompany the disenfranchisement of young homosexuals by their families are blatantly evident in the high rate of suicide and depression among the gay youth. Without the support of their families, young homosexuals have a distinct disadvantage in progressing into a confident adulthood and are vulnerable problems that their heterosexual counterparts do not face. In order to reverse the trend of rejection of the gay youth, parents must love unconditionally and understand the development of their child is in their hands. By interviewing supportive mothers of gay children, we are demonstrating how acceptance produces positive outcomes for everyone who is involved. The interviews with Marian, Nancy, and Lucy are vital because they are real life examples of strength, support, and change in American society towards the young gay community. It is the mothers’ goal, as well as ours, to illustrate the necessity for and right to acceptance from the family unit for young homosexuals.

Group Reflection

As a group we were able to understand and compare each mother's experiences and attitudes regarding their gay songs and daughters. Since all mothers have different ethnicities, political views, religious backgrounds and locations, these interviews covered a diverse range of people. The diversity presented in our research gave us a broad spectrum of experiences and uplifting support. These mothers' particular encouragements for their children and for the cause overall proved that it is possible to be positive and offered us an enlightened perspective and optimistic impression over the issue of the matter.

"All Mothers are Working Mothers": Stay At Home Moms

Introduction
Stay at home mothers take a lot of criticism in popular media as women who essentially do nothing but lounge around all day while their husbands slave away to bring home their subsistence incomes. Television caters to this misconception, constantly reinforcing the traits that America has come to associate unemployed mothers with. This point of view simply does not measure up to reality. In fact, it can be shown that while some may fit the stereotypes being earnestly reinforced by popular media, many stay at home mothers actually work the equivalent of a sixty to an eighty hour week. Depending on how demanding the husband's work is, the wife may not even get the opportunity for sick days or vacation time away from household responsibility.In our presentation, we interview and analyze three women who all chose to be stay at home mothers, but in their own way.

Purpose
The purpose of our research is to debunk myths about stay-at-home mothers by bringing to light the duties and responsibilities they carry in the home. We plan to do this by showing the day-to-day lives of stay-at-home mothers and the kind of work they perform in their daily routines. We want to know the duties of stay-at-home mothers as well as the challenges they face; we are interested in understanding the obstacles that stay-at-home mothers encounter on a daily basis as well as the obstacles they face in how they are perceived by others. In order to carry out this purpose, we will be interviewing Zola Thurmond, Sarah Hopkins, and Daisy Luo, three stay-at-home mothers from different backgrounds. Zola and Daisy both work from home, while Sarah is a more “traditional” stay-at-home mother and handles primarily domestic labor. By interviewing three women from different backgrounds, with different responsibilities, and different numbers of children, we will be able to present a picture of how varied the lives of stay-at-home mothers can be without stereotyping them.

Interviews

Zola Thurmond
“Say for instance your working a 9-5 job, at least when you come home you know the job is done. BUT with a stay-at-home mom, her job is 24 hours a day...7 days a week.” This scenario holds true for millions of stay-at-home moms in America. Zola being a stay-at-home mom to a politician and one 19-year-old daughter has a lot of wisdom about the ins and outs of being a stay at home and can definitely recognize the perks and disadvantages of her position. Being a stay-at-home mom is one of the biggest sacrifices a woman can make, but if “it's your calling” Zola Thurmond has proven that sacrifice will certainly turn into a rewarding decision. Zola recognizes the stereotypes of being a stay at home mother and directly stated that “Some of you women are thinking... wow here is another one trying to live an easy life, but I kid you not it's a challenge one of the and most important things that I could ever do.” Shows like Desperate Housewives and The Real Housewives, many have formed the belief that stay at home moms have nothing more to do all day long, as they wait for their children to come home, other than waste their time on frivolous activities and spend their husbands money. Zola “hates those shows, [she] doesn't even watch them” because they create a complete misconceptions about stay at home moms and the lives they lead. We believe that Zola's strength lies in her confidence and determination to be a support system to her husband and daughter. And despite whatever stereotypes being held against stay-at-home moms, she knows that this was her “purpose and wouldn't trade THIS life for the world!”



Sarah Hopkins
“Nobody is perfect. I make mistakes. I am not a perfect parent but through trial and error I learned that raising children and being a homemaker can be one of the most rewarding and difficult journeys.” This is the maxim by which Sara Hopkins lives by with her job. She graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in Fashion Merchandising, yet she claims, “I always wanted children and a home to enrich my life.” Mrs. Hopkins wasn’t planning on being the stereotypical wife that, in her words, “lays around and eats bon-bons, takes bubble baths, and watches soap operas all day.” Like most homemakers, Mrs. Hopkins will admit that being a mom and a homemaker is a full time job. The job has to be done 24/7 through church activities, social lives, family obligations, sporting events, household duties, and other commitments. Mrs. Hopkins claims that one of the most difficult aspects of what she does is “Maintaining sanity with an upbeat attitude because there is a lot of repetition and reinforcement going towards raising children and maintaining a household and it can get very repetitive and demanding.” Her goals are simple: lay a moral foundation for her household and children so that the children will grow up with integrity and the will to have a successful and happy life. Her and her husband split up responsibilities simply. Mrs. Hopkins does everything around the house while Dr. Hopkins provides the income for the family. However, she claims, “My husband and I both had a huge hand in raising the children with morals, Christian values, and good discipline.” Now, with two children ages 18 and 22, she states the most rewarding aspect of her life as a housewife through the full time job and non-stop work is “having a successfully run home and seeing the happiness and achievements of my children—not many jobs receive this kind of reward.” Through Mrs. Hopkins’s everyday life in being a homemaker and mother, there is no way one could consider what she does nothing other than a full-time, difficult, yet rewarding job.


Daisy Luo
“Being a stay at home mom is the most rewarding job.” This was the number one point Daisy Luo wanted to emphasize when asked about her perception of stay at home mothers and the role they play. After growing up in a household where her mother was always home with her and her four siblings, Daisy wishes she could have sacrificed more of herself and more of her time for her own family. Daisy does not play the stereotypical role of the stay at home mom because she did work in a office for part of the day while her son Kevin was growing up, but she played the role of the “part-time soccer mom” and made sure that she was there everyday to take him to school, pick him up from school, participate in his life daily, and be there for her family in the household. Because of this Daisy was forced to do more “juggling” in her everyday life to fit in time for all her responsibilities, placing a lot of pressure on her own shoulders to make herself available for daily household activities. “Being there for your children is the most important thing you can do. You don’t want to miss the milestones, what if they say their first word at day care and you’re not there for it? No money can replace it.” This is why she does not regret the hardships and the pressure she placed on herself throughout the years because it is what she wanted to do. She wanted her family to know they were the number one job in her life, and that it was a job she was happy to do. Work in an office and other responsibilities were endured out of financial needs rather than a want to be in the workplace. “Financially if you can afford to stay at home I’m all for it. It takes a certain mental maturity to do the job of a stay at home mother.” Today, Daisy works as a free lance Realtor and is able to operate business on her own time out of her own home, so she has more freedom to be there for her family. Although her son Kevin is now out of the house at college, she still makes her self present in his everyday life so she won’t miss out on any of the important milestones that come along with watching her family grow.

Conclusion
After interviewing these phenomenal housewives or homemakers as they rather refer themselves as, we understand that being a stay-at-home mom is having a full time job because their job consists of dedicating their life, devoting their time, and putting their family as the number one priority. All three mothers agree that being a homemaker is a 24-7 job and a big sacrifice for a woman to make but it is also the most rewarding job. Like any other occupation women hold, these stay-at-home mothers love what they do for their family and gain a great fulfillment from it. Only one of the women interviewed was guilty of believing the stereotype that housewives are simply living an easy rich life but she has come to see that it is a challenging role. Being a homemaker goes beyond the stereotypical tasks of cooking, cleaning, and shopping. Rather, it’s a job that allows a mother to constantly provide time and support to her family, which can, at times, involve giving up something she loves to do. Being a homemaker is something a woman has to be mentally prepared for. Though women do have rights to employment that were not always available, women are not obligated to have a 9 to5 occupation. Just like those who are teachers because they love children and knew they always wanted to teach, or doctors who have a passion for helping people, the homemakers that we interviewed felt the same way about what they do. Not only do they find their contributions to their family and the home rewarding, but also look at the success of their husbands and well mannered children as a glorious product of devoting all of their time to being at home and always available to their families.

Group Reflection
This interview project allowed us to realize that as a group we too held many preconceived notions regarding stay at home mothers. Through interviewing Zola, Sarah, and Daisy we came to realize that being a stay at home mom is a joy for these women rather than a task. We originally thought that women were almost forced into these stereotypical gender roles, but they helped us see that just as they have a choice to enter into the workforce they also have the choice to stay inside the home to provide for their families. All three women were extremely easy to get in contact with and truly displayed their nurturing personalities and willingness to be there when needed. After finishing all three of our interviews, we were excited to share our new found perceptions on this specific group of women because we felt their insights were so relevant to help dispel all the myths people believe from seeing shows like Desperate Housewives or any of the Real Housewives series. We read a quote from an Unknown Author that said, “All mothers are working mothers” and we are glad we have been given the chance to show people this through our interviews and blogs.

Women in the Military

Statement of Issue

Up until recently, the issues of women in the military have not taken the spotlight. The lack of this attention on matter reveals the underlying secrecy used in the treatment and opinion of the women in the armed forces. In Frye’s sexism reading, she defines that sexism is anything that “creates, constitutes, promotes, or exploits any irrelevant or impertinent making of the distinction between the sexes.” For those that believe that women have overcome sexism in all aspects of the work field, all they need to do is take a close look at the military to see that this is not the case. If sexism was not still an issue, then one of the largest organizationns of our country (the armed forces) would have women and men being placed in the same positions if they have the same skills. It is common that women take on the roles as the caregivers, the cooks, or the people on watch patrol no matter their skills. Also, women do not receive the same well-deserved respect that men in the military receive. Society often incorrectly portrays women as weak and in need of protection, so that does not help when the women are the ones doing the protecting. The men are the ones perceived as strong and emotionally stable enough to remain calm and composed under times of war. This is apparent in the percentage of the total of men in combat roles as opposed to the percentage of women in combat roles. Men are usually the ones involved in the dangerous and important missions which hinders women and keeps them oppressed because a soldier can only gain rank from the combat roles which are scarcely given to women. This acts as a barrier to women because it keeps them from vertical mobility within the positions of the military. These reasons, however, only allow for things to remain how they are; it leaves no room for improvement for these women that truly deserve it. It is, therefore, our duty to educate ourselves about the lives of the women in the military in order to achieve their justified respect and duties.

Purpose of Research

The purpose of our research is to understand the roles of Women in the Military.

Women are commonly seen in a misleading way as part of the military, as a result many people believe they are caregivers, cooks, or in other non-combat roles. This topic has not come as much of a concern up until the most recent decade and would provide and interesting insight into the lives of these women. The percentage of women in the military compared to men in the military is drastically different. From this project we want to know the real life experiences of Women in the Military, how they were treated, what standards they are held to, and if Women in the Military has changed over the years. In order to answer these questions the interviews were held with three women who came from three different branches of the military and held differing positions from combat roles to non-combat roles.

Maryann Doran – Retired Air Force

Maryann Doran was active in the Air Force for four years. As a part of the Air Force she held a non-combat role as a result her perspective of women in the military is quite different than those who did hold a combat position. She joined the military because she was ready to leave home and was ready to take on adventures and travel the world. For some of her enlistment she was stationed in the Philippines. This is where she met her husband and also carried her first child. Mrs. Doran had many good memories of the military and rarely had any times when people thought poorly of a woman in the military. In a general view a few people thought two things about women soldiers. First, that women in need special treatment and shouldn’t be held to the same standards. Secondly, women should not be in the military because they are not as physically strong as a male soldier. As a active woman she never felt that either of these were true and that she could contribute in many other ways. An example of how some male soldiers feel about women in the military Mrs. Doran told us a story that happened during her pregnancy. Her boss told her that she had better have the baby on a Friday and be back at work on Monday, if she could not do this than women shouldn’t be in the military. Many people are accepting of women in the military and have grown to embrace them, however there are still some gender difference that need to be gapped.

Susan M. Gauthier – Retired Navy

Looking back on her time in the military, Susan M. Gauthier is nothing but proud about her service and positive about her experience. After graduating high school in a town in Michigan, Susan joined the United States Navy because it was the best job available to her at the time; most of her other options included night time shifts working in factories. Susan is currently the lead pharmacy technician. However, during the interview, she shared that she often looks back and wishes she had made a career out of the military. It is commonly believed that there are always large gender gaps in the military; however, Susan said, in her experience, that was not necessarily the case. When asked if there was a gender gap, she exclaimed with a smile, “There was a gap when I got there, but that gap was closed when I was gone.” This was because when she was stationed in Adak, Alaska, she asked to be an airfield fighter as opposed the job on the structural team that her instructors suggested. At the time, there were no women in the department. When she left, however, there were only two men left. It is partly because of her experience that she believes that she was never advantaged or disadvantaged because of her gender. Gender did not make a difference, according to Susan, because everyone was a soldier. She further explained this by saying, “It is just as hard for the men as it is for the women. You are still leaving your family regardless of your gender.” All soldiers share that among many other things in common. Susan made it clear that she did not believe that gender played a huge role in the advantages, disadvantages, and misconceptions of the military. However, she feels strongly about the discrimination that gay soldiers face. She shared that “the only thing that I will say is that the only other advantage/disadvantage is for the gay community. Because they are being singled out and being made to get out if anyone in the military got any kind of idea that that was their connotation; then they’re put on a list, and they are pushed out with a less than honorable discharge. I don’t think that’s right. That is one of the things that I am paying very close attention for President Obama to fix because it should make no difference.” Although she claims that she does not consider herself a feminist in anyway, she sees current issues dealing with social hierarchies in the military, and she wants to see action to make sure that this is stopped.

Lynn Kendall – Retired Army

Lynn Kendall was active in the United States army for 2 years. Being a woman in the military according to her had it’s advantages and disadvantages. She did lose her job because it became a combat position and women are not allowed to be in those kind of positions. She joined the military to be able to support herself and her country, gaining the ability to also leave her home. She said that the military was a good place with great benefits and that she has become a lot more patriotic because of it. One of the advantages she stated was that women didn’t have to do as much physical labor as men did, although some people may not think of that as advantageous. There weren’t any specific memories she wanted to share with us, but she was more than happy to answer all of the other questions. Overall, it was a great interview and gave us all insightful knowledge on being a woman in the military.

Conclusion

Gender gaps may be closing but they are not completely gone. Women who are in combat roles face more gender issues than women who are not in positions of combat. Over the last several decades treatment of women in the military has dramatically changed. Women can sometimes be held to different standards than men, but there are also challenges that other minorities, such as gays, face. Women may leave the army for maternal or family reasons, and childbirth is an issue a man does not have to face so this can not be used to demean the capabilities of women in any way. In any story, no two experiences are ever the same, and given this it is impossible to express the views of women in the military as a whole. Some may feel as if they were treated unfairly, others may not, but in almost all cases, women in the military feel very honored to protect and serve their country.

Group Reflection

As the interviews were held we realized that not all women are the same and therefore we cannot assume how women as a whole are treated in the military. From the variety of roles that women hold bring a variety of opportunities and obstacles to each woman. These women take it in stride because they want to serve their country in the same way and privileges a man gets to. Taken for granted is an understatement when it comes to these women. Our Military has grown over the years to become more accepting of Women in the Military; however with these accomplishments come many more obstacles. Women today still fight not to be compared to men but their own standard, and furthermore fight to have the same jobs offered to them as would be offered to a man. As a group we learned that the Women in Armed Forces are strong, courageous, and very patriotic.