Managerial Tips from Dolly Parton Part 1
On a recent snowy afternoon, I curled up with a cup of tea, excited about what awaited me in my queue: an episode of the CPB’s Independent Lens. The show featured the 925 Movement.
I knew the Dolly Parton movie 9 to 5. I sing along with the car radio when the movie’s theme song comes on–and you probably do too! It’s an anthem that gets many women, young and old, riled up to this day. I’m embarrassed to say I had little awareness of the national 925 Movement. I was enlightened and eager to share with my readers.
The 925 Movement encouraged women to fight for equality in the workforce. Unfortunately, many of us are still carrying on that fight.
During World War II, thousands of jobs were left vacant in the manufacturing and service industries. Women rose to the occasion, ably picking up the slack. After the war, soldiers returned and women vacated many of the roles.
Many women still wanted to work and found themselves relegated to clerical roles, their skills or interests no longer of use–and no longer a consideration.They became clerks and secretaries where they were forced to accept low wages and were required to fetch coffee and lunch for their male colleagues and bosses. Worse yet, they were often forced to tolerate sexually explicit jokes and, in some cases, sexual assault.
The Independent Lens documentary featured women in Boston, Ohio, and Washington during the 1960s and ’70s. It traced the history of grassroots movements as they steadily picked up steam. During this same period, 1972, Congress passed the Equal Rights Amendment. President Carter extended the ratification time frame by three years till 1981. In 2020, Virginia became the 38th state to ratify the ERA, but it is still not law. Why?
Dear Reader, I’d love to hear from you. How do you foster equality in the workplace-from your female and male employees or co-workers? How do you mentor younger women and men at your place of employment? What has you belting out your best Dolly Parton impression in the shower this week? Please stay tuned for Part 2 of this conversation…