Severely handicapped class arrives - The Lowell

P«|«6. TKUwll. December 7. IWH
POLITICS—
•Jessica Leung
Women in
America
"Don't you think a n>an it ihc mot* Important thing in the world?
A woman itn'l a woman until the hai been married and h-d
children.**
Actrm Debbie Reynolds recited thew: word* -hen she sunvj in
the film Tlie Tender Trap In 1955. Such statements nowadays would
oo) onl- discourage ticket uU but would most likely ctuse p.-otciti.
Yet. we mutt keep la mind Iba: Ms. Reynolds was only reflecting the
tentimenu of the period. Tw of women once again.
Ferraro's nomination was heralded cs a "Journey •yithoul precedent.**
Later In her concession speech. **erraro stated e*en though
Mondale "...did n* win thb nee tnr the prnidency. in 19M he waged
another HalUe. a battle for equal opportunity. And that bit lie
Waller Moadale won. American women will never again be secondclass
dtliou." 1 o-nnot *.clp but wonder if ttiete statements arc
hyperbole or fact.
Oetpiie the stalbtlc that women constitute S3 percent of eligible
voters and have outnumbered men who vote since 1964. They were
not given lhe tight to vole until 1920. The Declaration of Icdependence,
over a century before the 20th Amendment, espoused
the theory that ali men arc created equal. I have taken for granted
that the word "men" signified all members of the human race, irrrzsrdless
of sex or i&clai background.
Are men and women reaJ'y equal? The number of working mothers
hai nearly tripled since 1950. Some 15.5 percent of families arc now
headed by women, and &e salaries of almost sli mllllot' wives are
higher than thote of their husbands. Besides Kcrraro's national
recognition, there are countless successful women such as Supreme
Court Justice Sandra f>ay O'Connor, aitronaut Sally Ride, and U.S.
Transportation SccrcUT) Eliubcth Dole-
It should be noted, however, that most top positions are not
available to women. For example, only five percent of the nation** top
executives are female. There are on!y 24 women in lite 5J4-m
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