lowa Women View Political Future

by Louise Dix and Lynn Voedisch

It was "the largest convention oi
the women's political caucas ever
to be held in the United States of
America,” according to Mary
O’Halloran, an Iowa State Repre-
sentative. ApproximatelyﬁﬁOwomen’
of various age groups and back—
grounds attended the Iowa Women’s
Political Caucas (IWPC) Sept. 29730
at iowa State University.

Featured speakers at the conven-
tion included Sissy Farenthold, Ch-
airperson ol the National Women’s
politicat Caucas, Texas State Re»
presentative, assistant proiessor or
law at Texas Southern University,
and the first woman to be nominate
ed for vice president at the 1972
Democratic National Convention.
Jill Ruckelshaus, assistant to Anne
Armstrong, Special Counselor to
the President-and one of the loundr
ers of the national caucasrwas also
featured.

According to Minnette Doderer,
lowa state Senator, in politics, woo
men are “in the position or the dog
that chased the car and caught it,
What do we do now?” She explains
ed that this convention’s purpose
was to find out exactly that.

To accomplish this purpose, work,
shops were held on the following
topics: “How to Run and Win,”
“How to Lobby,” “Sex sterctypr
ing in Education," “Welfare is a
Women’s Issue," "How to Take it
to Court; Legal and FinancialRights
of Women," “Child Care,“ “Crash

Course orLParllamentary Procede
ure," “Women and Health Care,"

"Employment Rights" and “Rape."
Various speeches tied things to
gether. Doderer in her “See How
We’ve Run" speech told the women
not to wait to he asked to run or
they’d turn old and gray,

She said that a'woman has a 50750
chance oi winning and even in she
doesn't win, she’s getting her ideas
across to the public and becoming
known. "Look at the President at
the United States, “how many times
he’s run," she pointed out. “one
thing women must do is take the

risk. I hope more or you will try it
because we need you in govern»

merit." Doderer told the audience.
Doderer said she objects totheuse
o! the term “ladies" because “la,
dies are supposed to be passive,
nomagressive and demure. We're
not; never have been. In politics
there's just not much room tor it.
The people in the general assee
mblynall males, i might add-er
have those characteristics, You
must be active and agressive in

Laundry Day Blues?
all tor prompt
pickup it delivery

I ll“ ELEANEHS
lillllNllENEﬂS

1019-1 2 Broad St.

Road Service

236 7160 SIXTH & WEST

GLASSES

Made and Repaired
in Our Laboratory

Contact lenses

Cases and
Solutions

EYES EXAM! NED
Phone 236-7502

EJ. Jonson, 0.D.
OPTOM ETR IST

Across from Post Office
Closed Thursday p.m.

and Sat. p.m.

 

changing lowa laws where they need
to be changed We need morewomen
in the general assembly ”
rarenthold, in her speech, gave
some tacts and iigures oi women in
politics and in the labor iorce as
stated by the US Department or
Labor and an Iowa state commiSSr

ion on the state oi women. Some '
01 these [acts included,

1) Nine out or ten women will
work at some time during their
lite and most will work out or an
economic need;

2) The average woman worker
earns 3/5 that or a man in the same
position,

a) 76% oiithe women in the work

_ x, t
span in not no. i, We. no

SISSY FARENTHOLD

torce hold clerical jobs,

4) 6.7% women are political oiiice
holders in Iowa and those offices
are mostly clerical
“We must alter the ratio at W07
men in politics,” Farenthold said,
“Society is lopsided."

”We must change the laws by
changing the law makers,” she con-
tinued “Our objective is to rehum-
anize society. Put people heiore
pollutants, children heiore con»
struction and working people heiore
weaponry, There‘s lots ol work to
be done'”

Farenthold remarked that She
wants “to see the time when being
a woman is neither a hindrance nor
a qualiﬁcation.” “Today it is a
hindrance," she added.

She hopes that the women’s polio
tical caucas will change that byget-
ting more women to participate in
the electoral process. “lt'samultir
partisan organization, unlike the
League at Women Voters," Farenr

DO YOURSEL
PAY US

thold commented. “Each women can
take on within her own party to do
the work,” She said the caucas
will succeed because it represents
all women, regardless oi background
or party leaning, working together
towards a common goal oi gaining
rights tor women and tor allpeople.

Ruckleshaus elaborated on that
point in a more humorous manner.
“We’ve come a long way since the
times or the Book oi Genesis that
said we were kindoian alterthought,
but we’re still nowhere near the
iinish line. H

“It’s been 52 years since we were
given our (voting) rights, but weare
still seeking economic and political
change,” she continued. She rer
marked that 40% or the total labor
torce is made up or women and that
the average working woman is, ior
example, a teacher; not a college
protessor or anadministralor. ”It’s
not hard for a woman to he a law,
yer, a doctor, an editor, bul it sure
is hard to become one," Ruckelr
shaus stated.

She said that women are discouro
aged irom attempting to get thebetr
ter positions. "Perhaps it's time
we worry less about the girl’s tum
tnre role as a who and mother and
worry more about the boy's tuture
role as a husband and iather."

The iedorai government has at long
last become aware oi the women’s
movement,” Ruckelshaus said,
“The Equal Pay Act is being vig—
orously eniorced by thelabor depart
ment and there’s a concerted etiort
on the part oi the government to
entorce the laws so that discrimi»

There are more acts being dealt
with by the government to stop dis
crimination even down to particle
pation in Little League baseball,
due to women in congress and due
to the pressure oi women’s groups,
she said. “We must keep up that
pressure."

According to Ruckelshaus, women
have a long way to go in the fed
eral government. “But don't ever
give up,” she told her audience,
“We can‘t attord to leave the hate
tleiield and we can’t attord to get
tired. There are a lot more women
running tor ottice. We must enc
courage and support them Women
will become more contident and
outspoken; more demanding about
their role in the decision-making
process,“ she predicted.

F
AVI

DANISH MAID BAKERY

818 Fourth Avenue

Des Moines

15t & Woodland

THE GRINNELL SCARLET AND BLACK OCTOBER 5, 1973 FAG

Sczrlzt and black photo by Louise nix

Jill Ruckelshaus, assistant to Presidential Counselor Aim Armstron.
gave the second major Speech of the lowa Women’s Political conteren

at lunch.

“I’m not urging women to get
into politics because they’re better,
smarter and more moral," shesaid
pausing, (with much applause trom
the audience.) She said that studies
have shown that women in govern-
ment are more conscientious about
the issues than men are, She also
said they’re more devoted to public
Service, ”I’m proud of the history
of women in working for social
causes; reform, Civil rights, anti—
war,” Ruckelshaus added.

“Why don't you run for president?”
she was asked alter she received
a standing ovation for her speech

“There is hope for the nation with
people like Jill Ruckelshaus in the
White House,” said Roxanne Cone
lin, Chairperson of IWPC. “And
the hope tor lowa is in this room."

Gale Car Take

A late model car belonging
Professor Grant 0. Gale was si
olen trom the parking lot pt '1,
Science Building about noon MD
day, according to Grinnell polic
Police Chief Bill Peters Sayst
car, a 1973 white over green Buil
LeSabre, was left unlocked with tr
keys in the ignition. Thecar carri.
Iowa license plates, 7940521. ,
Police and College ofﬁcials sa
that persons parking on the Colle
campus should not assume thatt
autos are immune trorn theft. Th
advise that all cars parked an
where tor any length of time shou
be locked with the keys remov-
from the Car

WElCOME NEW STUDENTS
OPEN 24 HOURS A DAY

SEVEN DAYS A WEEK
TO SERVE YOU

102] MAIN

DRAKE UN El'i’SlTY '

 

