An interview with a woman of another generation

I interviewed my 69 year old grandmother, Jackie. She was born in 1942 and will be turning 70 in October this year. She is a very friendly, kind, and loving woman who loves to talk, she can talk anyone’s ear off, and even a stranger’s if they are willing to listen and talk back. I wanted to interview her because I know she would be willing to talk and I thought it would give me a chance to learn more about her past.

Jackie was born and raised in Battle Creek, Michigan. She grew up in a house with seven siblings, four girls and four boys. The first question I asked my grandma was “When you were a child were you told you couldn’t do certain things just because you were a girl?” She said, “Back in the day a girl never thought of doing things like being the president of the U.S. or being a judge or senators or any political office type thing because it wasn’t a girl thing. But I did grow up in the Salvation Army and women were always treated equally to men. There were never any women preachers except in the Salvation Army and I feel like that is something special to grow up and witness.” I also asked “Did your parents have double standards for the boys and girls?” “Can’t really say because the girls were older than the boys so when the boys were old enough to do things the girls were mostly out of the house. But in most cases yes it’s true. I think they figured if the girls got in trouble it would make the family look bad.” “How do you think the moral values have changed since then?” “Back then it was a BIG no-no for girls to go out and get drunk or get pregnant. Where today it’s kind of a normal thing for kids, yes it is still looked down on but not as strongly enforced and there is a lot more of it today then back then.” “What were the expectations your parents had for you girls while growing up?” “They expected us to learn to clean, do laundry, cook, and take care of a family. With being one of the older kids, I took care of my younger siblings.”

After talking about her childhood we started getting more into when she was older and the work force. I asked her “What about when you were older and were entering the work force? Were there any expectations in what kinds of jobs women should or should not work?” She said, “Girls got jobs like telephone operators, typists, receptionists and things like that. I took typing classes but never used any of it. I worked in a movie theater, and as a soda jerk (making sundaes and floats), after I got married, I worked as a clerk in a grocery store. Women were not allowed in any management positions. I worked in the meat room at one point and the men would cut the meat and then leave for me to wrap everything up and clean everything.” “No matter the job, men were always paid more money no matter how long you worked there; because the men needed more money to support their family. It didn’t matter if the women had family to support also.”

At this point we had discussed her childhood and what it was like in the work force so now it was time to discuss education. I asked my grandma “What kinds of roles were there when it came to an education?” “It was expected that boys would go to college but not girls. Only girls that came from very wealthy families went to college.” “Were women pushed as hard as men to get an education?” “We were pushed in high school more but not to go to college because it was expected that you would get married and become a stay at home mom.

I really enjoyed interviewing my grandmother. It taught me some things that I never knew about her. While interviewing her it reminded me of one of our readings, The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedman. In this reading they talk about how women were expected to get married, have children, and become stay-at-home moms instead of going to college. All of which is exactly what my grandmother was telling me. They were expected to do well in high school but not to pursue anything after that; college was for the men who were required to provide for the family. After doing this project it makes me appreciate the fact that I can freely choose what I want to do with my life. I’m not expected to do something that I don’t want to do. I am free to do what I wish and for that I am very grateful.

References:

Interviewee: Jacqueline Fulcher  February 13, 2012  Phone:(269)964-7554.

Friedan, Betty. The Feminine Mystique.