Oral History Interview:

I chose to interview a lady at the retirement center that I work at. I was asked not
to incorporate the facilities name into my report by my supervisor. Her name is Theresa
Tess Hill. Theresa was born May 25, 1935. Tess was raised in Fort Wayne Indian in a
one parent household with her two sisters. Her mother was the head of the household.
She cooked, cleaned, and worked to support her four children. Her father passed while
my mother was at a young age so men being the breadwinners of the household was
not looked at as being traditional for their household. Her mother raised her and all of
her sisters on her own with no assistance. Tess mother wanted her daughters to learn
survival techniques without the need of a man to control or help in a household. I
admired the theory behind the way Tess was raised. I enjoyed hearing about her
learning how to cook, clean, and work for her own money at a young age. I believe Tess
mothers household was not traditional but still looked at as fit. Her mother made sure
her children were well taken care of without the need of any outside help. Tess
graduated from Wayne high school and soon after earned a job at an Arbys. Tess met
her husband as he came I every day and ordered the very same items off the Arbys
menus. Her soon to be husband worked for a construction company near her job. They
dated for a few years before getting married. Tess wanted to find a different career path
outside of Arbys so she asked her husband John is he could help her find a job on his
construction site. This very rejection is when Tess first experienced her first battle
against gendered discrimination. Tess and her husband had one child, Norbit. Tess and
John worked extremely hard to financially support Norbit as well as each other and their
household. Tess is seventy-nine years old. I was able to give her extra time to answer
each question, but I did not want to pressure her into remembering every detail.

Part 2: I started off the interview asking Tess what room she would be most comfortable
sitting in. She asked to be placed in the lobby area near her friends. I placed her in the
area near her friends and I even allowed them to chime in our conversation when they
grew interested. This lobby area contains room and access for those residents in
wheelchairs. This room also provides heat and/or air conditioning for the comfort of the
residents.
I start the initial interview process asking Tess to think about the 1960s second
wave feminism and how those times may have affected her life. I opened the discussion
by asking her what her own definition of feminism is. Tess looks down at her hands
before looking up to answer the question. Feminism is a collection of movements and
ideologies aimed at defining, establishing, and defending equal political, economic, and
social rights for women. The main focus was to establish equal opportunities for women
in education and employment. Tess looks puzzled at my surprised facial expression.
She states, Youre too young to remember that. I reiterate to Tess that this an interview
I am conducting an interview for a school project and that her answer was very well
detailed. Tess nods and insists that I continue.
The second question I asked is what were her thoughts on womens issues
involving the second wave of feminism. Tess again looked at me in surprise. Women
faced issues such as being less privileged than men. Women were oppressed,
restrained, and abused by men. I noticed Tess begin to either rub her hands before her
responses or tap them on her wheel chair. I asked Tess if there was something I could
do to make her more comfortable. She suggested for me to make her nails pretty like

mine. I went and got a basket of assorted nail colors and allowed her to pick a color.
After Tess picked her color she was ready to continue the interview. Tess held her hand
out for me to begin painting.
I asked Tess if she had ever felt inadequate to the opportunities her husband.
She suggested that women received less opportunities, less material resources, social
status, power and self-actualization. Tess wanted a job other than the job she worked at
Arbys. Tess wanted to apply within the construction company that her husband John
worked for, she was denied. This company insisted that Tess was not physically capable
of performing these duties that came along with this job. She explained how the
company had not told her specifically that it was because she was a women but a few
things insinuated it for her. The company had no proof or validation of her physical
capabilities. The company also did not have any women working for them.
As I continue to paint her nails I begin to notice her loosen up. Tess does not
seem as frigidity any more. Next I asked Tess how her life changed during the
movement after she had her son. Tess smiled. Norbit brought so much joy to my life. I
left my job at Arbys to become a stay at home mother. I wanted Norbit to have my full
attention. My husband was able to afford our bills with his one salary. If I was going to
be confined within my own home and not employed this was the job I would settle for
doing. Raising Norbit was not a job to me it was a beautiful part of my life. Many women
my age often complained about the rights that we lacked from the movement. My
friends wanted to be seen as more than just a house wife. I too, did not agree with the
mistreatment but I was fine with it as long as I had my son there with me. I did not view
myself as a housewife. I performed duties that I had always done for John and me.

Tess looked down at the one hand I had completed to admire the color and the
way it went well with the top she had on. I continued on with my questions. I asked Tess
if college was something that she would have enjoyed doing. College would have been
a good experience for me to have. My experiences with jobs would have been easier.
They would have been able to see my level of education and that women were
opportunist and were capable of learning the same things that men learned. I then
asked Tess what major or career path would she have chosen. Tess examines her
nails again. I would have studied to become a teacher. Raising my son Norbit taught me
so much about children and about myself. The classroom would have been a fun
change of pace for me. Tess asked me what my occupation was and I informed her that
I am a teacher. She laughed and said she could tell by my appearance and the way I
carried myself. She then asked what I felt was the best part about being a teacher. I was
honored that she cared enough to ask me that. My response was as follows. At times
students are learning and they don't even realize it. I know from my teaching experience
we model "learning through play". The students are too young to understand that they
are learning things like:
-Using expressive language
- Identifying name letters
- Counting, quantity

-learning behaviors of living things

- print concept and usage
- motor strength and coordination

-Shapes
-Scientific inquiry
Another form of development is character education. In addition to all of the "playing"
our students do they are learning how to identify and regulate their feelings. Our
students learn what it means to have a friend. Students also learn what it means to take

care of themselves and their school. The final development I believe students learn is
their values. Students are able to learn about different aspects of life in school. Some
examples include: community helpers, family life, history, science. Some schools even
allow children to express religious values. Each of these levels of development vary
based on age group. I believe they all contribute to important factors in a child's life.
Sometimes we learn children receive more knowledge and learning advantages in the
classroom than they do at home. Tess was very pleased with my answer. She
suggested that this is something she would love to hear her sons teacher say. She
suggested me and a strong passion for my job and that we needed more people like
myself. Tess was also pleased with her nails. I finished my interview just in time for the
residents to make their way to the dining hall for dinner.
In concluding my Oral Interview I made connections arguments made by different
social theorist. The Conservatives argue that people agree that the structure should
remain because it works best for the majority in society. The Radical theorist would
argue that our compliance with structural rules suggests agreements, but in reality fear
the consequences of going against it. Radical Feminists are associated with the idea of
providing womens only spaces, essentially dropping out of the patriarchal order
altogether. Socialist feminists say that both the capitalist system and patriarchy are twin
systems of oppression that must be fought.
I believe that for some women they believed it would create a bigger battle that
they would lose if they opted to fight the discrimination they were facing. In Tess case
she insist that she did not give up her fight and choose to accept the social structures
that were implemented. She found a better way to occupy her time. She knows that she

could have continued her fight but she felt as though her son needed her attention and
energy that she would have given society. I was able to use some of things I learned
from an author named Mary Erdman. Todays structures are different than what they use
to be. The father does not hold all of the power and the dominance within the
household. Women have the ability to work outside the homes. I found it interesting that
Tess would have liked to become a teacher. Wharton focuses upon higher education,
looking first at the sex composition of teachers. Women comprise the large number of
elementary teachers, while men comprise the large number of college professors.
Within the academy, women professors are most likely found in schools of education,
while male professors are most likely found in schools of engineering, business and
science. Tess enjoyed teaching her son and the things she learned from him at a young
age. I believe this would have been a suitable career for her. I believe the biggest thing
Tess as well as many other women wanted for themselves was equality. Second Wave
Feminism also had direct connections with the civil rights movement. The women of the
civil rights movements were fighting for total equality, not separating race, class, or
gender.
It can be argued that there have been real improvements in the way that women
are now represented in the media possibly because of the increase in women working
in the media, sometimes still positions of power. However, many would argue that
women are still represented in a negative and stereotypical way and are still a long way
from enjoying equal power in media institutions. Feminists would argue that this reflects
and reinforces the unequal social, economic and political position of women. The postfeminism suggest that women have won rights. I would concur with this statement but

however, we are often still held back by the way society suggest that women obsess
more now over their physical appearances. We still have to continue the fight to receive
our equal rights in society. It is our job to educate ourselves as well as our youth about
the importance of how fair we have come as a nation.