The Feministing Community’s Woman’s Movement Aftermath Project: Summer with a Speech Pathologist.

I knew my friend June since high school, she was the school speech pathologist and I was one of her students. We decided to keep in touch after I was close to graduating high school. She was a California transplant from the South who had grown up in Tupelo, Missippi; she even saw Elvis as a kid!!!!! She can remember when the flower generation went on to dump out their plaid skirts, crewcuts, and their records of Bobby Rydell and went to experiment, grow their hair long, and listen to Janis Joplin. So here it goes: Doris Day fangirl, Netflix customer, and AMAZING teacher, here’s my interview with June.

Me: What were you doing in most of the 1970s?
June: I graduated as a member of the Tupelo High School Class of 1970 and then went to the Mississippi State College for Women for 1.5 years and then transferred to LaFayette in Louisiana; I married in 1975 and worked on my Master’s Degree
Me: How would you describe yourself at the time?
June: I was trying to do it all, the Superwoman was the ideal at the time, and trying to make everyone happy. I was overextended.
Me: What did you expect to do with your life at the time?
June: I wanted to be a speech pathologist. Starting in 1975, you’ve needed a Masters and it took seven years for me to earn it because of my marriage and we had relocated. I finally earned my Masters in 1981!!!!
Me: How did you come across the Women’s Movement?
June: Big contrast, in the women’s college there weren’t any pants allowed and we had night curfews. In the University, there were girls in halter tops and boys with long hair. Mississippi was conservative, so was Louisiana (Catholic), but LaFayette was a college town. So I came across the movement on campus, since the University was more demonstrative.
Me: What was your first impression at the time?
June: I was okay, beacause people were weird. I was disturbed, but I had a good role model, my mom had worked in and out of the house. I later found out about the pay gap later on and I was angry, guys with less education than I would come to me for advice on their jobs and get promoted. It’s a bit better now, with the Lily Ledbetter Act. The women in my life always worked outside the home.
Me: Did you warm up to the movement?
June: Yes. Because it felt empowering to recognize that women were struggling for equal rights for themselves and everybody else. The Oil Industry was huge in Louisiana and I felt put down my the women working there because I was in teaching. When I moved to California, I was surrounded by peers in my line of work, very liberating.
Me: Did the Movement change your life? If so, in what way?
June: I think it did. My circumstances changed too, in the 1970s and early 80s, I saw myself as a wife and later mother. In California, I saw myself as a equal breadwinner and as a feather in my cap, my pay passed my husband’s. It’s part of my profession to keep learning, so would your generation, as part of the tech glut.
Me: How do you look back on that time?
June: A lot of change and anger, women would hope their equality with spouses would be recognized. I think they were angry that they didn’t get that respect. There were times in the early years of my marriage, where I was handling childrearing and housework on top along with work. It’s better now with me and my husband.
Me: How have you changed since then?
June: Part of it, a lot of the things that dictated my responsibilities was being a mother. Now, since he’s all grown up, it’s liberating to not be on the go and I have time to re-discover myself.
Me: What are your hopes for the generation of young women?
June: That they would be in family relationships that are equal and shared and that the earning salaries would be equal to men. The things that women do with families should’nt be seen as liabilities for companies.
Me: Thanks for answering my crazy questions.
June: You’re welcome
Okay everybody that was the interview. How did you like it? Next up will probably be my mom (I can’t promise anything, ok?) In the meantime, here’s Doris Day and k.d. lang!!!!