WOMEN IN MANAGEMENT

"Business is rough, too rough for women" is a statement made by many men to women. "It's fun. Men want to keep the fun for themselves," says Dr. Betty S. Del Duca, Manager of International Crude Operation of Standard Oil Corporation. After obtaining a Ph.D in Chemistry, she worked for NASA as a Research Scientist in Jet Engine Combustion among other projects, for fifteen years. Betty enjoyed the job and did well in it, so she decided to follow through with more study when NASA laid her off. Off she went to the School of Management to learn more about responsibilities in government research documents. While in school Standard Oil offered her a position which she enjoys even more than working for NASA.

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"Not typical." "This is not me. "She must have connections." "Why ho.her with exceptions." "Only a few women are hired for tokens." "No real responsibilities." How many ways have you sold yourself short or the business success of others? Are you willing to qualify and prepare yourself for success?

Betty did. She was divorced with two daughters to raise and educate. But the Bureau of Labor Statistics report, "Employment in Perspective: Working Women," Third Quarter, 1978, states that the median personal income in 1976 was $6,200 for divorced women. The $6,200 included wage and salary earnings, interest, dividends, alimony or child support, welfare payments, and other income. Besides earning above the median $6,200 in management, Betty found opportunities to provide travel for herself and her daughters to places such as London. (However, she would have to work from early morning to late evening while her daughters visited Buckingham Palace and other places of interest. At time she stayed over an extra day, if it was on a weekend, but then she would miss that day to relax and catch up on chores at home.) Another opportunity, according to Betty, is the chance for involvement in the important concerns of society. In her experience, there are many other reasons for pursuing a management career than money.

Now that money is mentioned, take a look at some of the following statistics put out by the Department of Labor in 1976. 37 percent of women have no personal income; 78 percent of women have personal incomes below $7,000 a year (this includes the 37 percent who have no income at all). In 1976 the median income for men was $12,152 while that of women was $6,957. In 1977 women's median earnings were $8,600 compared to $14,600 for men. Note the increase of the difference from one year to the next For more than two decades this difference between working men and women has stayed in the 58 to 63 percent range, even though during the last 25 ycars the proportion of women in the workforce has risen. from 34 to 50 percent. Now more than 4 out of 10 workers are women.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics in the third quarter of 1978 suggests that one reason for the lack of change in the earnings gap is that a substantial pro-

portion of women are still concentrated in traditional, low-paying female jobs-about 6 out of 10 women are employed in clerical, service, and retail sales jobs. Another reason could be that a large number of women now entering the work force are employed at low-paying entry-level jobs, and temporarily their earnings may be holding down the

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average incomes of all women. Are these the reasons for your low income? What are you willing to do to change these statistics?

Betty Del Duca strongly advises more education or training anytime, anywhere along the long career path. She adds, "It is pathetic when people try to find work for which they are unprepared." Note that her Ph.D. is in chemistry.

Jane Mercant, Director of Project Resource, a nonprofit employment service run by women for women, agrees that women must come to an employer prepared with education, plus a sense of direction. Jane goes on to say that business and industrial employers look for technical people first, and that liberal arts major who wants personnel or public relations work will find the job search difficult. In fact, some women she talks with do not even know what public relations involves.

Project Resource was started four years ago with a grant from the Cleveland Foundation as a Jewish

Vocational Services supplement, in order to educate women about the job search and jobs, specifically in business and industry.

Jane along with Marge Shorrock and Ann Klein work to help women who want nontraditional female jobs in business and industry to obtain them. The first step for any interested woman with at least one year of college is a phone call to Project Resource, 579-1414, during which the woman's background will be discussed to discover whether or not a visit to the Project at 1258 Euclid Avenue, Suite 200, Cleveland, Ohio 44114, would be worthwhile. Since foundation grants no longer support the Project, a one-time fee is required. For $35 one of the women provides an hour of pre-employment counseling which includes more discussion of a woman's work history and education, the realities of the world of business and industry, what or what not to put in a resume, and a design for a plan of action. This plan may take different forms depending on the individual. For another $10 a woman is registered for placement activities which include direct placement (they set up interviews), providing a list of contacts (woman sets up interviews), and a listing of her name on a roster which goes out to 300 employers (employers set up interviews). A woman may also use other available materials such as closed job orders to study for job information.

Jane sums up the activities of Project Resource as "helping women in transition making career choices who were not prepared for it. Traditionally women were not prepared by education or conditioning for the difficult career choices that they must make today, not only because of the desire for more money and meaningful work, but because traditional jobs are decreasing."

Many Cleveland women are offering aid and sup-

VIEW POINT

port for other women to develop the awareness and skills useful for success in nontraditional jobs. For instance, Project Resource offered a special workshop last fall presenting women who told their own stories of how they left traditional female roles, had to go to work, and worked themselves into more responsible positions. Next winter, Project Resource is planning a workshop on Women and Sales, concerning the myths of sales and what is needed to make good sales associates. Sales is a likely route to management. Successful sales people prove they have the grit and perseverance to produce for the coporation, as well as learning the human relation skills to manage hundreds, sometimes thousands, of people.

Other women such as Betty Del Duca talk with groups of women about how to advance within a corporation. She states that women must be willing to work long hours, travel at a moment's notice, be pleasant and help superiors with work. These are the

S. Berdecia/Washington Square News/LNS same things men must do. But she adds that women must continually keep in contact with each other for information and support. As an interviewer, Betty looks for the person with interest, enthusiasm and communication skills. She suggests that the interviewee show that she has lots to offer an employer. In other words, tell who you are, be honest, and brag.

Other women provide assistance through writing. Betty Lehan Harragan wrote Games Mother Never Taught You (Warner Books) which discusses the rules of sports and the military which are used in business, and of which women are often unaware. A very good book for an overview and practical suggestions which also helps in deciding on a nontraditional career is The Ambitious Woman's Guide to a Successful Career by Margaret V. Higginson and Thomas L. Quick, published by AMACOM, a division of American Management Associations. Another book which even has a "Managerial Aptitude Analysis Form" is Women's Guide to Management Positions by Wilma C. Rogalin and Arthur R. Pall (Simon & Schuster). There are many books and magazine articles available for browsing or careful study.

Around the Cleveland area are many more resources open to women for career planning and. skill development to prepare oneself for meaningful work. Either with the aid of others or on your own, assess your skills and experiences. Talk to people in your areas of interest. Evaluate your knowledge, skills and values. Then decide on a direction to follow, Without a sense of direction, you may as well be satisfied with a paycheck, any paycheck. Develop a career plan and follow it,

-Paula, A. Copestick

January, 1979/What She Wants/Page 3

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