Reflections on elections,  

I remember Grandma telling me she was over 30 before women could vote.

I remember Aunt Nancy telling me how when Social Security was enacted, her father told her to make sure she signed up for it immediately. She was always grateful for both Social Security and Medicare – and how grateful we were for Social Security after he was disabled and unable to work. 

I remember how grateful I was when I turned 65 and had Medicare – affordable health insurance and health care I believed nobody could take away from me any more. I just went through weeks of choosing supplemental health insurance and it was an agonizing decision trying to choose just the right one. I can't imagine being 10 to 15 years older, talking with sales reps, reading through insurance booklets, trying to make a fair and balanced decision on private health insurance policy to be paid for with a voucher.

I remember when women were paid less than 65 cents an hour for every dollar an hour men were paid. Why? At the time I thought I knew why -- their jobs were harder (the miners, the construction workers, the police, the firemen, the laborers in our world). But I worked in an office, doing the same kind of work as the men, working the same hours, with the same education, and they made more money than I did. I trained many of the men I worked for. Aunt Nancy asked the same question when she found out the men she worked with made more money than she did, and she was told "He is a man, and you are a woman." Aunt Nan told her boss that "I can wear pants too!"

I remember when women with college degrees were asked how fast they could type – the only degrees that were useful for women were teaching and nursing degrees – and very few women were accepted into medical schools. A girl's best job preparation at the time was taking typing and shorthand. Most men just needed a high school diploma. 

I remember Nancy telling me that Grandma told her she was going to be Teacher of the Deaf. Nancy wanted to be a stenographer, the most respected job for a woman at the time.

I remember in 1955 when a female relative married and could no longer hold her job at the power company because of their "policy". 

I remember when women were "let go" from jobs when they were 4 or 5 months pregnant, and there was no such thing as maternity leave. 

I remember being asked during a job interview if I intended to have more children and what my childcare plans were.

I remember when women at 3M received tuition refund only for classes that pertained to their current job, but men were offered tuition refund to work on degrees that would give them promotions. Thanks to the women’s movement and updated policies, I also was given tuition refunds for both a 4-year degree, followed by a Master’s degree. 

I remember when a good friend almost died from a “back-alley” abortion when we were 15 and in the 9^th grade. She didn't finish high school because of her "bad reputation." There were no consequences for the boy who got her pregnant. 

I remember when girls who got pregnant weren't allowed to finish high school.

I remember when modern birth control wasn’t offered yet and I had 4 children in my first six years of marriage.  None of these births were covered by medical insurance (we couldn't afford medical insurance). 

I remember when tubal ligations were neither offered, and certainly not covered by insurance, for women who decided they had had enough babies.

I remember being helped by Planned Parenthood.  Thanks to them I received one of the first six IUD’s offered in Minnesota, shortly after my last baby was born, at a nominal cost.

What do you remember? What laws enacted have benefited you? What President made the biggest impact on your life? What are you grateful for? How does your life story compare to your children's and your grandchildren's life today.

How far we've come since our ancestors made the choice for "coming to America!"

If you would like to share your thoughts in a posting with us, please send this in an attachment to an email (or just in an email) with "Time Will Tell" as the subject to nanr@aol.com. 

Have a wonderful day while I "wait and see" -- Time Will Tell.