Former President Nixon signed Title IX into effect on June 23, 1972. Title IX granted gender equity for men and women (boys and girls) in every educational program that receives federal funding. Contrary to popular belief, Title IX is not just about sports. Athletics is only one out of ten areas addressed by this law.
There has been much controversy over Title IX over the years. Recently (3/15/05) the Department of Education under the direction of Margaret Spellings issued a ‘clarification’ which allows schools to rely solely on an e-mail survey of female students’ interests to show that they are providing women with equal opportunities to play sports. This is insane! How many emails do you get each day? Imagine yourself as a female student, how could you possibly know what is at stake if you didn’t respond to a specific email? Moreover, the Department of Education has told schools specifically that they can interpret any lack of response from this email as evidence of lack of interest. Secretary Spellings is the mother of two school age girls. Might not her own children benefit from Title IX programs in their future as countless others before them have?
We are all affected by issues like Title IX. Think back to a time when you feel really confident, powerful or in control. Ask yourself what you were doing. Then ask yourself if Title IX was in any way related to that experience. Gender equality concerns all of us. Take action.
Gripe–So I have been switching over from Yahoo! mail client to my long-time beau Outlook. I have been pining away for the intelligible pleasures of Outlook for a while now but finally got off my butt to make the switch happen. I put it off for so long because I knew that I would encounter major technical challenges. Sure enough, for the past week I have been practically awash in technical problems opportunities. There are so many computer-related issues that continue to haunt me i.e. why can’t I get the Seth Godin & Tom Peters blog updates that I subscribed to? And-why I can’t I import my personal folders from Yahoo! to Outlook? I can import the address book but not the folders. Why? These needs are so mind-numbingly simple. Aren’t they? How can the answers to the obvious be so difficult to find? Grrrrr…..
I am a huge fan of yoga…the grace of the asanas, the beautiful Sanskrit language, the focus on breathing which calms me down. Yoga helps your mind and body to slow down, something we can all use. And, according to the magazine Psychology of Women Quarterly, yoga also helps women build self-esteem. The entire article is available through paid subscription only but a summary can be read here. Now, another reason to grab your mat out of the closet and take in a yoga class.
Namaste!
Have you ever noticed how extremely satisfying screaming can be? I’m not referring to an angry confrontational situation although that could also be satisfying. I’m talking about shouting at the top of your lungs in a joyful way.
Fortunately for me, my sister Caroline is an Admissions Counselor at The Hotchkiss School . She gives me pretty of reasons to scream. Currently, Caroline is coaching girls junior varsity lacrosse. I try to get to as many of the games as possible. One of the reasons that I find the games so rewarding is the screaming. I shout ‘Go Blue!’ or ‘Come on Hotchkiss!’, ‘Great job #8!’ or sometimes the simple cry of support ‘DEFENSE!’.
Women don’t often get the chance to shout out their emotions. Screaming is not really an act that’s encouraged, especially for adult women. It is pretty much expected that kids and men will yell and scream periodically. Women, not so much. When women begin to yell, they are usually beyond enraged. {Sidenote: For funny, poignant true stories of angry real women, read (or listen to on tape as I did), The Bitch in The House . Terrific.} Try to squeeze in a scream or yell at some point this week. Fighting with someone doesn’t count. Get yourself to a tournament, marathon, lacrosse game or any other event where it is considered normal to yell your heart out. You’ll feel fabulous, spent and satisfied at the end. Tired but also renewed. Try it.
This Saturday May 14 in Kingston, NY, I will be hosting a booth at Women’s Health Expo . This is the first year that I have participated but I am really looking forward to it. My friend, Kari Reiser, told me about the event when I did one of my popular evening seminars Learning to Recognize What You Want at her business Everyday Wellness for Women in Red Hook, NY.
Take just one issue in the huge pool of where-do-I-begin women’s health issues: obesity. A quick Google search on overweight women pulls up stacks of articles –the first few related to childbirth & fertility issues that they face due to their heaviness. Problems breast-feeding ; longer, difficult labor, higher pregnancy rate among obese birth control pill taking women than thinner women, etc., etc.
While I’m thrilled to have an entire day (!) dedicated to women’s health, I can’t help but wish for more. I’m greedy, I know. I want more because I want to drill the concept of self-care into the minds of a lot more women out there . I’m not talking a weekly pedicure here. More basic than that (although pampering is also essential for us) is the form of self-care that women must begin: extreme wellness care. It’s as simple as getting a pap smear done, schedule a mammogram annually also if you’re over 40, cut out the foods in your diet that make you feel sick, give your body a boost and exercise 3-4 times a week. This is just a start. How many women (of all ages) tell me that they haven’t had a mamm0gram or pap test done in years? I look at them incredulously. This is your life, ladies! We only get one. Take good care of your body now.
Enough of my rant. Put yourself and your health first. Stop by Saturday. I will certainly not be the most qualified person to talk to about consequences of poor health but we can talk about how to get you back on track, healthy and satisfied again…or for the first time.
At last night’s Passionale, eight women gathered to discuss our May participant-chosen topic: anger. As we learn in Uncommon Confidence next session at Berkshire Community College starting June 6 often sublimate their negative feelings, anger being one of them. Personal stories, triumphs and disappointments were shared as we learned from each other about how to deal better when confronted with an belligerent person or an especially toxic situation. One learning -long a core part of my own coaching philosophy-is that we must put ourselves first by asking for what we need, stepping away from a toxic situation, carving out a piece of the life pie as our own.
I often use the airplane airmask analogy: we put the mask on ourselves first, THEN, we help the person next to us. Yes, that is in an example of an emergency situation but I believe you must incorporate that practice in your normal routine everyday. Put yourself first then care for the other people in your lives. Only when you care for yourself the very best that you can, are you able to give to others in a meaningful significant way.
Passionales meet on the first Tuesday of every month in rotating locations. On June 7 we will be at Irving Farm Coffeehouse in Millerton, NY. from 7-9 pm. No topic as yet has been suggested. What’s on your mind? You don’t need to be there to suggest a discussion topic. Email me your thoughts.
How did it happen? You were perusing my website, clicking away, downloading Personal Revolution!: a Self-Esteem Retreat for Women information, admiring the snazzy design work, applauding articles and suddenly you find yourself at my blog. And, you wonder ‘What’s a blob blog?’. You aren’t alone on this one. I get that question quite a bit. A blog is a weblog, an online diary designed to let you know more about who I am, what my company does, what I am passionate about and how I help women become passionate about their lives too. You’ll find my posts are chockfull of information and, you guessed it, my opinion. I hope you’ll email me or post a comment in reply to something that I said whether you vehemently disagree or if you find yourself murmuring ‘that’s right,’ to yourself. You can subscribe to my blog or simply return to my website (please do!) to peruse my blog and see what else is fresh for you.