For our next interview, we have my grandmother, Mary. One of the things Mary likes to do most is crochet. Crocheting has always held a special place in her heart, as she loves to make things for her family. My mom said, that growing up her mom would always crochet them gloves and hats to wear to school. And she still makes things for her family today. In fact, I remember one time she made me a miniature blanket for my American Girl Dolls when I was little.
To begin, I asked her about her childhood. She told me that when she was younger, she enjoyed playing outside with her friends. “We played tag and kicked soccer balls around all the time.” However, when she got older, she noticed more and more how her mother wanted her to help with cooking and cleaning inside the house. “That was just what was expected of girls at the time.”
When she got to high school, these traditional gender roles became even more apparent. “We took home economics classes. We did all sorts of things in there: sewing, cooking, baking, and probably more. That’s actually where I learned to crochet too. No one really complained though because that was all we knew. It wasn’t like today where girls can do all sorts of things.”
Following high school, she got married almost immediately to my grandfather. “Today getting married that early isn’t as common, but no one really batted an eye when we got married. It was expected of women to start a family after high school. I mean, that’s why we had all those home ec classes anyway.” Soon after, she got a job at the department store, JCPenney’s. She took pride in her job and had a really good time working there.
Later, the couple had three girls, one of them being my mother. While her husband was working, she mostly stayed home to take care of the kids, while working part-time at JCPenny’s. “I was always so proud of my girls and all that they accomplished growing up. They always pushed themselves to do their best and worked hard.”
I asked if she had any advice for any other young girls out there and she said, “The world needs strong, confident women who aren’t afraid to make a difference. So get out there, work hard, and do your thing.”
Hi Carmen! Your grandmother sounds like a very sweet woman. I was recently talking to some friends of mine about how they had to take a new version of Home Ec that was meant to be less misogynistic, yet the boys still weren’t required to take the class. It is very interesting how women’s equality has progressed and I love how your grandmother has been a part of this as well as watching the strides women have made. Good Post!
Your grandma sounds like an amazing person. Even though Home Ec is a misogynistic, I wish that there was some type of home ec in my school because it could have helped. I just wished it was more of a gen ed class where anyone could take it. It does not matter where people work, it matters if they love what they are doing. And I find it so important that your grandma loved her job.