Young Women Misbehavin'

Well behaved women never make history

Women’s News to Chew On: Link Love for Lunch

Posted by YWM on January 27, 2012

January is Mentoring Month – Mentor a Woman Veteran or Military Spouse

Successful, Equitable Workplaces

Must women pry the board room door open? [The Glass Hammer]

Davos expects rise in female executive attendance [eFinancial News]

The path for getting more women in senior leadership [Forbes]

Men out earn women in all US areas except in one a tiny town in FL [BizJournals]

Should pregnancy be treated as a disability? [Wall Street Journal]

Walmart faces long battle on sex discrimination despite court win [Huffington Post]

Women 100 years away from board parity [HRM Today]

Just because there are only a few women CEOs doesn’t mean we are not successful [Forbes]

Mentoring

Michelle Obama on personal service, mentoring and giving back [More]

Giving back to women veterans and military spouses who have given so much to us [Huffington Post]

A Miss America contestant’s cause, “Mentoring: Investing in Tomorrow’s Future Today,” focuses on positive impact a mentor can have on children [Examiner]

Cherie Blair on why women should become mentors [Huffington Post]

Politics

Number of women in politics declining [Charlotte Observer]

Small Business

Five lessons for daughters taking over the family business [The Grindstone]

Gen Y

Gen Y: The new workforce [The Next Web]

Saluting Misbehavin’ Women

Little Pink Book lists top 11 women in philanthropy [Sacramento Bee]

All female Seabees Team makes history in Afghanistan [Los Angeles Times]

Female engagement teams build rapport with Afghan women [Gazette]

Walmart promotes African American woman to run Sam’s Club.  One of Fortunes Most Powerful Women [Loop21]

Woman veteran goes from drugs and suicide attempt to helping others [New York Times]

Health

Secrets from the world’s healthiest women [CNN]

STEM

Organizations for women in technology formed in the past thirty years follow a “separate but equal” doctrine [Venture Beat]

Math study provides clues as to why women don’t excel at chess [New York Times]

Veterans/Military

Part two in the series “The Battlefield and the Barracks: Two War Fronts for Women Soldiers” [Truth-Out]

GAO report shows VA’s shortcomings in dealing rising number of homeless women veterans [Government Executive]

Number of homeless female veterans more than doubles [MSNBC]

Woman Veterans Coordinator responds to gender PTSD study [Swords-to-Plowshares]

Other News You Can Use

Social Enterprise trains women philanthropists in Angel investing [Just Means]

A complex portrait emerges of black women who feel confident but vulnerable, who have high self-esteem and see physical beauty as important, who find career success more vital to them than marriage [Washington Post]

New definition of rape finds men struggling for awareness of how rape has affected them [New York Times]

Are pink Legos just building stereotypes?  [NPR]

A scientific look at the dangers of high heels [New York Times]

Posted in Link Love, Uncategorized | Tagged: , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Everyone Can Lend a Hand Through Mentoring

Posted by serenity order simplicity on January 26, 2012

At a year old, Rachel can walk. However, when we saw her a month ago, she still preferred assistance. She would commandeer the closest adult. Without a word, she made her needs clear. She would lift her arms and whoever noticed knew to extend a finger or two. She grabbed on and headed off—a 2-foot-tall dynamo leading the stooped over, willing adult.

So, what does this have to do with mentoring? Rachel is not your typical business associate. While my connection with my granddaughter is certainly not professional, our interaction has aspects of mentoring.  We have a mutually agreeable relationship that includes respect, communication, and setting boundaries.

Within each of us is the capacity to mentor. And each of us has an area in which we could use mentoring by someone else. Mentoring is more about relationship than skills or knowledge. Probably the biggest “skill” a mentor needs is the desire to help. It’s a relationship built on trust and respect.  And it recognizes that at some point, our mentee will no longer need us and be able to “walk” by herself.

A mentor wants her mentee to succeed. Rachel’s ability to walk is independent of me, but my helping hands have encouraged her in the process. And you can bet I’m there to applaud every step she takes. I’m also there to pick her up when she falls; drying tears if needed.

January is National Mentoring Month, focusing on mentoring as a way to give back.  This year, Business and Professional Women’s (BPW) Foundation is concentrating on women veterans and military wives.  BPW Foundation has deployed Joining Forces for Women Veterans and Military Spouses® (JFWVMS) Mentoring Plus, a program dedicated to helping women veterans and military spouses connect with working women mentors and subject matter experts (SMEs) to receive support, guidance, and career development.

There is a role for everyone to play. Our mentors and mentees are women of all ages, eras, ranks and skills. Follow this link to JoiningForces@BPWFoundation.org.

For updates, follow us:

http://www.facebook.com/BPWF4WomenVets 

https://twitter.com/#!/BPWF4WomenVets

Posted in Mentoring, Military, Successful Workplaces, Veterans, Women Veterans | Tagged: , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Women’s News to Chew On: Link Love for Lunch

Posted by YWM on January 20, 2012

January is National Mentoring Month – Sign Up to Mentor a Women Veteran or Military Spouse -

Successful, Equitable Workplaces -

More young women are covering campaigns [Politico]

Does it pay to be one of the guys at work? [Forbes]

38 years after passage of legislation designed to enforce workplace equality, the Equal Pay Act is often violated [KStateCollegian]

Empowered Work Force

How the gift of mentoring changed two lives [Naples News]

A mentor can help you reach your goals at any stage of your career or life [Chicago Tribune]

Chart showing women’s earnings as a percentage of men’s in 2010 [HR Compliance]

Wal-Mart Women file expanded Texas Class Action [MarketWatch]

Walmart seeks to halt refiled gender discrimination law suits [Insurance Journal]

Rutgers study finds that paid family leave leads to positive economic outcomes [National Partnership]

Health

New recommendations for older women and bone tests [New York Times]

VA says women veterans getting screened for cervical cancer [DODLive]

Women’s groups file Supreme Court brief supporting Health Care Reform Law [National Partnership]

Small Business

Women have to shine to attract investments in their businesses [Women2]

California, Texas and New York have the most women owned businesses [Gisuer]

Are women more careful entrepreneurs than men? [Forbes]

Do men and women bring different skills to entrepreneurship? [FastCoExist]

Three in four women small business owners see more tough times in 2012 [Insurance News]

STEM

Encouraging biotechnology workplace diversity [BioTech Now]

Gonzaga University awarded grant aimed at bringing more women into STEM careers [Spokesman]

Gen Y

Millennial Women are burning out at 30 and starting their own businesses [Forbes]

Other Interesting Items

Professional women rate 6 biggest mistakes businesses make when marketing to women [SFGate]

Men and women are still both from earth despite study showing “brain” differences [Huffington Post]

Commission on Status of Women to get budget ax in CA [SFGate]

A furor over gender marketing for Lego toys [Huffington Post]

Dr Pepper’s bizarre “not for women” ad campaign [Forbes]

NY area female retail workers experience low pay, little health insurance, scheduling instability and an abuse of part-time job status. [Women's eNews]

Politics

Political Parity’s drive to help women win office [The Daily Beast]

15 women GQ could have named to its most powerful in Washington list [Think Progress]

Why women still won’t run for office [Elect Women]

Military/Veteran

Film, “The Invisible War” takes on rape in the military [Huffington Post]

Jill Biden writes children’s book about military family’s struggles [Huffington Post]

The Battlefield and the Barracks: Two War Fronts for Women Soldiers.  Why Do Soldiers Rape? Part 1 of a 5 part series [Truth-Out]

Female vets struggle to find work [WWLP]

Cengage and BPW Foundation partner to support women veterans with career transitions [InfoTechSpotlight]

PTSD—an equal opportunity disorder—rates are same among male and female vets of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, with about 18 percent of both groups [KQED]

About one in five women and one in one hundred men reported that they’ve experienced military sexual trauma [MotherSatWar]

The double trauma of war and sexual assault by “brothers-in-arms” in the military leaves women feeling unsafe [Truth.Out]

The first VA patient to receive all of her prenatal care from the VA [SL Tribune]

Panetta announces new measures to combat sexual assault [Stripes]

Posted in Feminism, Link Love, Mentoring, Small Business, Uncategorized, Women Veterans | Tagged: , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Joining Forces – Women Veterans Speak Out: Love Is The Most Important Thing

Posted by YWM on January 16, 2012

Returning guest blogger, Liz Mclean, an Air Force Academy graduate who has transitioned into the civilian world in search of fulfillment after serving on active duty for four and a half years tells a very personal story today.

In my past articles, I have talked about my drive towards the ambiguous definition of “success” …the constant quest for new motivation. While I have always been someone who recognized the efforts others, it wasn’t until recently that I realized how the unwavering support of one particular person is truly what carried me for the past 27 years. Without him…”success” would have had a much smaller meaning.

Not but a few weeks ago, my father was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer that had metastasized throughout his body. I have had horrendous experiences in life, but finding this news was by far the most gut wrenching.  Much like the opening stanza to Emerson’s Concord Hymn, it was a devastating shotgun diagnosis heard around the world.  Flying out to CA to sit in the Oncologists office as “Jingle Bells” played in the background was surreal, but it was my father’s positive mind-set that still made it seem like Christmas after all.

Liz and her dad Bud

As he goes from doctor to doctor hearing the trials and tribulations of what he must endure ….one thing never vacillates: his positive attitude and his mantra to fight with all his heart. When I say to him “dad, you are an inspiration to start appreciating what is important in life” his response is “I’ve always said love is the most important thing in the world. Some people thought I was crazy. But I have known it is supporting family, friends and having a positive attitude that matters.”

As I began to reflect on life, I started realizing what it was that got me to this point of “success.” There is no doubt I have worked hard on my own, but without my dad’s love and support growing up…I would not be anywhere. Starting to compete in running events in Kindergarten; my dad was there as a cheering squad for every road, cross-country or track event. I can still hear him in the background chanting “Go Liz Go!” as I came around the bend. He was there for every drama performance, every monologue, for my Miss Junior America competitions, my biggest fan for every newspaper article I drafted, my sailing teacher, my horse show applauder, my driving teacher, my example of work ethic and the one person who constantly told me he thought I was beautiful.

When I think back to momentous occasions such as when my USAFA acceptance envelope came in the mail, parents’ weekends, graduation, my wedding, nearly every Thanksgiving no matter where I was in the world…..he has been there. My number one fan.

The point being that sometimes when you think you have accomplished success on your own, you fail to look behind the scenes to who may have been the catalyst. My father has given me faith to prevail …and now it is my turn to stand behind him to help him make this fight.  Cheers to you Dad….you were right….love is the most important thing in the world. Keep calm and carry on.

Posted in Joining Forces for Women Veterans, Mentoring, Uncategorized | Tagged: , , , | Leave a Comment »

Women’s News to Chew On: Link Love for Lunch

Posted by YWM on January 13, 2012

Empowered Workforces

Women are opting into career advancement strategies, including mentoring, and giving up work life balance [Forbes]

According to Ginny Rommety, IBM Chief Ex, women round down rather than up when assessing their skills [HBR]

Its time the U.S. adopts paid family leave [WomenseNews]

Women have a hard time taking credit for their success [Huffington Post]

As more husbands stay at home to support their wife, we see the rules changing [BusinessWeek]

During past 50 years, women have advanced in the American workforce yet still often receive lower salaries than male colleagues [IB Times]

Since 2009 recovery began, women have only added 43,000 jobs; picture’s even bleaker for female veterans, who just can’t seem to catch a break [Jezebel]

Successful, Equitable Workplaces

Corporate Boards: shifting from aging men to a new generation of women? [Forbes]

Tools and training prepare managers for workplace flexibility [SHRM]

Ball State University investigates lack of women professors [The Star Press]

Health

New York Times editorial: The Republican Party vs. Reproductive Rights [New York Times]

Odds and Ends

High hopes that 2012 will be a good year for women [New York Times]

Women are a mystery to Stephen Hawking [Reuters]

Roughly half of the planet’s visionary leaders are women and they have probably spent years wishing they could change something, or everything, about their bodies and their looks. [Business2Community

Thanking the women who paved the way [Huffington Post]

On Jan. 12, 1915, the US House of Representatives voted, 204-174, to reject a constitutional amendment to give women the right to vote. [New York Times]

Small Business

White House helping small businesses drive innovation [WhiteHouse.gov]

STEM

Meet a top female engineer for GM [Freep.com]

A survey by HSN showed that women outstripped men in their interest in owning electronics [Huffington Post]

Gaming keeps gaining among women [emarketer]

Gen Y

The future of work? Here area the top 10 employers of Gen Y [Forbes]

Millennial Women Battle Mentors: Article on disconnect between older mentors. [Forbes]

Saluting Misbehavin’ Women

Judy Smith recently named to the Women in Aerospace board of directors is a supporter of mentoring [Black Engineer]

Veterans/Military

Female engagement team is first for Michigan National Guard [Mlive.com]

Jobless rate for young female veterans climbed in 2011 [Stripes]

Women at War: women’s growing military roles out pace their health care [Stripes]

Joining Forces: Helping women veterans move into new careers [ICDCollege]

Mentoring programs help veterans make the transition [Career Builder.com]

Members of the US women served in the Cadet Nurse Corps are the only uniformed WWII service people not to be considered veterans. [MPNNow]

Posted in Feminism, Link Love, Successful Workplaces, Uncategorized, Women Veterans | Tagged: , , | Leave a Comment »

BPW Foundation and Cengage Learning Partner to Assist Women Veterans and Military Spouses in Their Career Search

Posted by YWM on January 11, 2012

Cengage Learning, a leading global provider of print and digital teaching, learning and research solutions, has joined Business and Professional Women’s (BPW) Foundation as a partner in Joining Forces for Women Veterans and Military Spouses (JFWVMS)  Mentoring Plus.

“Making a very generous in-kind commitment through the free use of their award winning on-line, interactive Career Transitions resource, Cengage Learning has demonstrated its commitment to support women veterans as they make the transition from military to civilian careers and military spouses as they deal with establishing successful careers under both difficult and unusual situations,” said BPW Foundation CEO, Deborah L. Frett.

“Though our partnership, women veterans and military spouses will be able to use, at no cost, this advanced career service tool to help them in their search for meaningful civilian careers. The new and highly interactive Career Transitions provides immediate access to the most important job-seeking and career learning activities,” Frett continued.

“The Career Transitions experience is about accessibility and guidance: helping people get started—and follow through—on meaningful activities to improve their chances of finding sustainable employment. BPW Foundation’s long and strong history of women helping women will allow us to reach an important but often overlooked population, women veterans and military wives, providing them access to this powerful tool – and ultimately to new careers,” said Dave Garza, Vice President, Careers and Computing, Cengage Learning.

In addition to delivering measurable details on user accomplishments and successes, Career Transitions will offer women veterans and military wives:

•    Interactive interview practice
•    Matching of work and military experience to new careers
•    Multiple job-search options, including internships and entry-level, with job tracking; Job openings can be filtered  by occupational interest and geographic location.
•    Comprehensive education and training options by career, program and location
•    Guided resume and cover letter creation
•    Continually updated expert advice and industry-leading content
•    Hundreds of career overview videos, including “A Day in the Life” interviews featuring real people who work in those occupations
•    A new, streamlined interface designed to give users immediate access to activities

Chair of the JFWVMS Mentoring Advisory Council Dr. Lynda Davis said, “JFWVMS Mentoring Plus, an initiative of BPW Foundation, will enable women mentors to tap their own experiences in the workplace to help women veterans of all eras successfully enter and advance in the civilian workforce, positioning their military expertise and skills for long-term career stability and success. Mentors will act as coaches, guides, and navigators, sharing insights and skills needed to secure meaningful employment and career advancement. The program will also help make connections for military wives who often cannot find jobs that match their skills and education because of the hardships of military life including many moves and living in areas dominated by a military base.”

BPW Foundation identified mentoring as a key need of transitioning women veterans during its Inaugural Joining Forces for Women Veterans National Summit held in October, 2010. The Office of the First Lady also recognized this “mentorship gap” in their selection of BPW Foundation as point organization for a large-scale mentoring initiative to benefit women veterans and military spouses.

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

Women’s News to Chew On: Link Love for Lunch

Posted by YWM on January 6, 2012

January is National Mentoring Month

Successful, Equitable Workplaces

Women deserve equal pay [News Review]

Organizations can’t afford to not accelerate their investment in women. Mentoring is one way to help. [Diversity Journal]

Flexibility at work might improve employees’ health [EHSToday]

Wall Street steps up recruitment of women [Registeredrep]

Empowered Work Forces

Business women in Oklahoma are mentoring women in Afghanistan and Rwanda [NewsOK]

Part time work could provide best balance for moms [Yahoo]

Less than half of Generation X women said they are motivated to do it all, but the majority believe that is what is expected of them. [Media Post]

Women are dropping out of the labor force but not forever; instead, they seem to be postponing their working lives to get more education [El Paso Inc via NY Times]

Health

Houston VA selected as women’s health research site [Cypress Times]

Saluting Misbehavin Women

Army’s first female 4 star general meeting demands of changing army [Military.com]

Female Quapaw tribe member named Oklahoma’s Veteran of the Year [Star Tribune]

Woman Marine Veteran remembers her time in the Marines after Pearl Harbor [Tampa Bay Online]

Women of Steel: using Margaret Thatcher’s name in vain [New York Times]

Women’s eNews announces its 21 leaders for the 21st Century 2012 [WomenseNews]

 Small Business

What is in the DNA of women lead start-ups? [Women2.0]

Women in the emerging market [Huffington Post]

Here are some women who are rising to the top and disrupting the space that they are in [Daily Disruption]

STEM

Wanted technical women: STEM education [US News]

CISCO’s Padmasree Warrior advocates for women in tech and believes in mentoring  [Gigaom.com]

Veterans/Military

The untold story of our women veterans [The Veterans Site]

Women change face of combat & VA care [UT San Diego]

Reflections on the Iraq war:  Biggest losers were both Iraqi women and US women soldiers [OPEDNews]

Victim advocates want radical overhaul of how the military handles sexual assaults [Stripes]

Military women are still waiting [HTRNews]

Other Items of Note

After violence and misogyny the blue bra becomes a symbol of women’s power  [Washington Post]

The U.S. ranks 40th in the world for women’s political empowerment and we’re losing ground. Real democracies are truly representative and women need to vote. [Huffington Post]

Study: Women’s expectations don’t match their motivations [BND.com]

Sexism and top ten lists [Forbes]

10 most ridiculous quotes about women in 2011 [EcoSalon]

Posted in Feminism, Link Love, Uncategorized | Tagged: , , , | Leave a Comment »

January is National Mentoring Month

Posted by egehl on January 4, 2012

January marks National Mentoring Month in honor of all of the wonderful mentors out there working to help others reach their life goals. All of us need mentors at varying stages of life. Mentors help children to succeed in school, support colleagues with figuring out their career paths, or provide invaluable wisdom and guidance when a friend is faced with a hard decision. Mentors can play many different roles and typically they are someone that has your best interests at heart, and can provide feedback and support that you trust and value.

I am lucky to have found mentors throughout my life who have helped to guide me through a number of important decisions. In this tough job market when networking and building relationships is key to securing a new position, having a mentor can be instrumental in guiding you through that process. Mentors are also extremely helpful when you are still deciding on what type of work to pursue and how to reach your professional goals.

In my experience, mentors have been some of my best fans supporting me in every endeavor I undertake. They know my professional ethic, work product and overall value firsthand and have a clear sense of how to convey it to others. Mentors are the people I go to for recommendations, advice on a job search, or when I am seeking to connect to new people and information. They are my friends, colleagues and confidants.

BPW Foundation has launched a new mentoring program specifically geared toward women veterans. BPW Foundation believes that women veterans especially need mentoring assistance as they make what can be a challenging transition back into the civilian workforce. The BPW Foundation Inaugural Joining Forces for Women Veterans National Summit in October, 2010, identified an ongoing need for women veterans and military spouses to find informed, trusted outlets to assess their goals and navigate their way to successful careers –careers that provide economic stability for themselves and their families.

Therefore to meet the needs of these women, BPW Foundation has launched the “Joining Forces for Women Veterans and Military Spouses Mentoring Plus” program. Through this effort, BPW Foundation will develop the tools, outreach, and capacity to support a long term goal of engaging 100,000 women mentors to connect with women veterans and military spouses. By the end of 2012, 10,000 of the total number will be recruited in collaboration with their launch partner, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

The BPW Foundation is honored to have received recognition from The Office of the First Lady and the Joining Forces effort, which has highlighted the “mentorship gap” in their selection of BPW Foundation as the point organization for a large-scale mentoring initiative to benefit women veterans and military spouses.

This month think about becoming a mentor or perhaps strengthen the relationship you already have with your mentor. It’s important to maintain your ties with your mentor and keep them up-to-date regarding your professional endeavors so they know how to help you.  And finally, consider becoming a mentor to a woman veteran by getting involved with BPW Foundation’s mentoring program. For more information please visit the website.

Posted in BPW, Education, Mentoring, Military Families, Successful Workplaces, Women Veterans | Tagged: , , , , | 1 Comment »

Looking Back: Our Top Ten Blogs of 2011

Posted by YWM on January 2, 2012

Making lists seems to be the thing to do when ending a year and looking on to the future.  So here are our top ten blogs of 2011 determined by you our readers.  Happy New Year and happy reading in 2021.

  1. Remembering the Women of the Civil War, March 31, 2011
  2. National Wear Red Day Is This Friday February 4, February 2, 20011
  3. Remembering the Women During Black History Month, February 2, 2011
  4. HERvotes Blog Carnival: So Sorry Rachel, There Still Is Sexual Harassment,  November 15, 2011
  5. Gen Y Women: Does This Sound Like You?, April 26, 2011
  6. New Study Sheds Important Light on Women Veterans, January 31, 2011
  7. Joining Forces: Women Veterans Speak Out – The Quarter Life Crisis, October 24, 2011
  8. The Lessons of Eat Pray Love, February 14, 2011
  9. Comparable Worth Noting!, February 3, 2011
  10. Joining Forces: Women Veterans Speak Out – No One Told Me, July 4, 2011

Posted in Feminism, Misbehavin' Notification, Uncategorized | Tagged: , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Joining Forces: Women Veterans Speak Out – Acknowledging Homeless Women Veterans

Posted by danielleac on January 2, 2012

Read the latest article of BPW Foundation’s every-other-week Joining Forces feature that brings us the voices of women veterans telling their stories.  If you are a women veteran who would like to share your story, please contact us through our Joining Forces for Women Veterans Facebook page, or email dcorazza@bpwfoundation.org.

Acknowledging Homeless Women Veterans

by Debbie Metcalf (as printed in the Asheville Citizen-Times)

 

The horrible situation of being homeless — not having a place to call your own, to lay down in your own bed, make coffee in your own kitchen, and play with your kids in your own den — is made worse if you’re a homeless female veteran, by feelings of embarrassment for being in that situation and anger for having faithfully served our country and still not have a home when you get out.

They come in all shapes and sizes, with varying goals for their lives and differing ideas on how to best attain them. Some of these women are mothers with dependent children to care for. Some are going to school to further their education and increase their work skills. Some of these women are victims of sexual harassment and abuse while serving in the military. Some are addicts and alcoholics. Some are religious and some are not. Some are gay and some are straight. Their lives are as varied as ours.

But their life experiences are very different from ours in that they are experiencing a form of betrayal that most of us have never known. They came home from service in the military to a society that seems to ignore the fact that women have played a vital role in the U.S. armed services for many decades. And contrary to popular thought, women have always been exposed to and participated in very dangerous situations in the military. These women have been injured and experienced loss and sadness while working to serve their country, just as the male veterans. Now, they are homeless.

Asheville is a great area to live and work. We have so many philanthropic organizations that assist people in need. I’m a proud native of Asheville. There are nonprofits dedicated to protecting our rivers, mountains, downtown, greenways, animals, civil rights, air. We have nonprofits to protect handicapped persons and victims of domestic violence, rape, PTSD, child abuse, hate crimes. We also have nonprofits that offer assistance to homeless individuals. The problem in Asheville is that homeless male veterans have a specific place to call their own, whereas homeless female veterans do not have such a facility. The federal government has extended grants to nonprofits to assist homeless veterans in our area. The males have the Veterans Restoration Center at Oteen that houses only male veterans. The women, however, are allocated only 10 beds at the Steadfast House, a homeless shelter that houses all homeless women. Many homeless female veterans are discouraged to accept this housing because of the stringent interviewing process that many feel discriminates against them. These female veterans are also many times left out of the loop about veteran issues and programs available to assist women to achieve their goals in becoming self-sufficient. The homeless female veterans in our area need a transitional facility that serves only veterans and provides information related to their veteran status. It’s only fair.

Homeless female veterans have unique experiences and needs from the general homeless female population. We are committed to doing what we can to bring greater equality for these women. They deserve a group working for them, since they are being short-changed by the existing organizations that are funded to assist homeless vets. It’s the age-old problem of sexism in our society. Women who have served in the military are victims of a patriarchal culture that devalues their worth, minimizing their involvement in the service of our country. We need to stand up for these voiceless women who are living at the mercies of a patriarchal organization and get them some real help; the kind of help that will get them out of their current situation and into a place of their own. They have much to offer society. But first we need to offer them a hand-up so they can get their lives back in order.These women need clothes to wear to job interviews. They need transportation to appointments and sometimes assistance completing applications for housing, food assistance, school, employment. They need a safe and comfortable place to sleep at night, until they can get a permanent place of their own. We are working to make that happen.

For more information on the effort to end homelessness among the women veteran population in Asheville, contact Debbie at mzdjm@live.com

 

Posted in Families, Homelessness, Joining Forces, Joining Forces for Women Veterans, Military, Uncategorized, Veterans, Women Veterans | Tagged: , , , , | 1 Comment »

 
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