Letter to the editor: ‘The struggle of gaining recognition and acceptance’

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To the editor:

Do women view success differently than men do? What additional obstacles are (or have been) faced by women in the work place and/or in their professions? Those were some of the issues discussed by a blue-ribbon panel of professional women at a public forum, “Closing the Confidence Gap,” sponsored by the Delaware County League of Women Voters.

The forum, held Sept. 15 in the Baylee Room of the Ohio Wesleyan Library, featured five successful professional women. Each had, in the past, lived the struggle of gaining recognition and acceptance as they entered fields dominated by men. The participants included a retired physician, an active chemical engineer, a current university professor, a retired clergy (and denominational official), and an elected county commissioner.

Clearly these fields are more open to women than they were when some of them sought to enter them. Often, however, the working atmosphere in some fields still is dictated by long term male values — values and perspectives that may differ from those of women.

The forum, designed in part to inform women and men today, was also structured to appeal to and inspire high school and college-age women. It is hoped that an edited form of the event’s videotaping can be available to interested leaders and teachers of young women and to other interested parties.

Those seeking to access the video — and those who want to hear about more informational programs of the League — are asked to contact the Delaware County League of Women Voters at [email protected].

William A. McCartney

Delaware

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