Legendry; Speech by Dr. Rosalyn Yalow at Saint Michael's College (Vermont)

Good evening. This is Frank Anthony. Our theme men and marching mountains by a Vermont Skaro Ruggles welcomes you to legendary. Roslyn yellow one of five women ever to receive the Nobel Prize in science. Is an inspiration to all women. Currently a senior investigator with the Veterans Administration. She is recognized as a leader in the medical scientific field. I taped a speech you're about to hear when Dr. yellow was awarded an honorary doctorate at St. Michael's College in Burlington. During the recent women's day symposium. Here for Legendary is Dr. Roslyn ya'll. Actually Nobel laureates in science have been recognized for exceptional

contributions to what is generally a highly specialized field. Too often the world and the laureates themselves believe that the Nobel patina makes them instant experts in all fields of science and public affairs. I hope I shall have the wisdom to refrain from pontificating about problems remote from my areas of expertise and I assure you there are many options because I have been the victim of social and professional discrimination that has kept women from achieving in science. I have long been concerned with this problem. Because I have been very successful in my chosen field of science. I think I have a particular responsibility to serve as a role model. To ease the path for those who come after. And to service spokesman to buckle ice some of the problems and solutions as I see them. The problem is how women see themselves.

And how this social group views them in terms of their aspirations and capability as evidenced by the failure to have passed the Equal Rights Amendment. A significant fraction of people and in particular to many women believe that women do not want equal rights. It leads a woman such as Dr Pappe a professor at one and an assistant professor at one of the medical schools to state there are differences in performance between male and female doctors that are not likely to disappear overnight. Equality of performance in medicine could come about only with the unisex state raised offspring in communal living and zero population growth. Let's be realistic and give up that dream of absolute equality or relative equality with differences is the best we can hope for. As long as

we still look. And behave like women. I have not settled for relative equality with differences. I do not believe it required me to look or behave lice like a woman. Nor is any woman more pleased with now fully grown children than I. In a symposium in 1976 at the Washington meeting of the American Physical Society there was a series of reports on 10 National Science Foundation funded studies that sought to determine factors influencing career decisions by women and science. Among the conclusions were that in a poll of young men and women in high school aged eighty nine percent believe the roles of women in science should be equal to those of men. However.

Even in this age group science leaning women encounter discriminatory attitudes in that the young science oriented high school woman soon learns from teachers counselors associates. Until often parents they must be hard to work in and achieve more but still expect less success than their male counterparts. I think we must accept that the problems associated with what I call social discrimination may never disappear completely. And the best is likely to change quite slowly. Problems in social relations are not easily saw. And what is on our lips may not be within our psyches. However we have a right to expect that the laws of the land will protect our rights for equal opportunity. This does not mean reverse discrimination. It does not mean setting aside places for women who are not fully competitive. Redress for past wrongs should not provide a bonus

for the undeserving. If women choose to compete as equals in what is now a man's world they must match their aspirations with a willingness to assume equal responsibilities. Some critical issues which must be addressed. Deal with child bearing and child care. The role of a quarter century ago in which women in government service were forced to resign in the fifth month of pregnancy whether or not they were capable of working was discriminatory. I laughingly say I had the only 8 pound 2 ounce. 5 month baby. I was too valuable to be forced to resign. For instance in discussions with women who wish to become physicians I emphasize that an enormous investment in them is made by society as well as by their family and themselves. It is true that medical school

technicians a tuitions are now $7000 a year in many places. But it cost the school $20000 a year to educate each physician. We must expect women to accept this investment only if it is their intent to be full time physicians. The request of some women's medical associations for part time residences for women during their childbearing years is unwise and unfair. Of course some women and some men also. Will drop out of that particular field but the percentage of women doing so should not be greater than that of men. Or it will hurt the cause of other women who aspire to that field. Several months ago I was asked. One young woman physician wrote me a letter in which since she was a member of the V.A.

she told me about the great research she was doing and how they werent offering her tenure. Really what the letter was about was appealed to me to support her in an easy case. She had served 11 years as a part time radiologist while her children were small and their husband was a full time surgeon. During these 11 years in order to keep her job she really had all the scud work at the department everything that nobody else wanted to do. She did in order to keep this position. The end of 11 years her children were older. She now wanted a full time position and she wanted tenure and they refused to grant her tenure. And she felt that they were treating her unfairly. And I wrote back to her. There are two things you must consider. If for 11 years you were to permit yourself to remain in the position in which they

treated you as being second class. At the end of that time they thought of you as being second class. And as a result in this very prestigious school they jump on second class people to have tenure tenure is very hard to come by in a school. I said there's one other thought you must have. If young when you're sued no woman will ever get a part time job. In that department again. So that if she were to win it would cut all of those women who want part time jobs from ever having part time jobs in these situations. I don't know how the suit came out. She proceeded with it. On the other hand I believe very strongly that those who have succeeded in those worthy of higher education those who are competent to contribute to the world

have a responsibility to reproduce themselves. We cannot accept the idea that women will move up. Without expecting that they will continue to be the ones who bear children with a society must be concerned with the next generation. If women are to work there must be plans for excellent childcare. Rendered by competent professionals to assure that all children have equal opportunity. We must appreciate that childcare is an important occupation and should be treated as such. Governments hopefully. If not I believe the universities must take the initiative in designing and supporting programmes for the care growth and development of all children. Too often daycare centers and household assistants all left in the hands of those not thought to be

capable of doing important jobs. We must revise our thinking. It is economically feasible necessary and justifiable. To upgrade child care facilities in 1977 40 percent of women with children under six were in the labor force. Failure to assure excellent care for these children will hurt us as this generation grows up. Many European states are far ahead of us in providing adequate facilities for the children of working parents. Recently there's been great concern for the reasons why women have not made it to the top. In business politics government or science. More Attention must be paid to upgrading women at the bottom of the socio economic ladder. The vast majority of the 40 percent of working mothers with children under 6

do so because they need the money. 1977 25 percent of all households were headed by women with a family in median income of under $6000. Forty two percent of working men earns more than $15000 a year. Only seven percent of women on the average. Women salaries were about 60 percent. Of men with comparable education whether elementary school high school or college. It would seem that irrespective of education or competence required for a job. If women do the job. The salary is lower. Median salary is by women who are clerical work is average 64 percent that of men. Median salaries for women who are professional are technical workers average 68 percent of men.

There is not now. Nor has there ever been equal pay for equal work. And unfortunately there appears to have been no significant improvement even in the past decade. Women and men come from the same genetic stock. No objective testing has revealed such substantial differences among the sexes as to account for the enormous differences in the cheap mint. The more lowly position is due to our cultural heritage women the so-called weaker sex. Are to be protected and supported by man. Of course in times of stress war revolution frontier life the wait women are permitted to show their strength when the crisis and as for instance at the end of World War 2 there were strong social pressures acting to discourage women from adopting professional careers or even from competing

for jobs at lower levels. It is time to end this travesty of the weaker sex. Women mature or earlier and live longer. But these differences really are relevant to the ability to function during a typical working life. Men are on the average taller. Stronger. And heavier than women but there is an enormous overlap in physical strength is hardly an overwhelming factor in this day of the computer and the machines. The time has come for all of us to appreciate that all a better served when women are treated as equals. What are some of the similarities and differences between the problem of upward mobility for women and those of blacks Hispanics and other groups who borne the brunt of discrimination. Women and men come from the same genetic stock. The same socio economic class. And at least in their only life have the same

cultural explosion. Thus one cannot really consider women to be disadvantaged except that the prevailing culture has discouraged them from achieving the truly disadvantaged a socio economic and other reasons are deficient almost from birth. And exposure to the tools of learning and the stimulus to learn in the civi. Some are reparable the hong. Others make their way regardless. It's not without interest to compare the effects of social discrimination on the aspiration of women and minorities minority groups comprise 13 percent of our population. And 12 and a half percent of the doctorates in engineering and social pressure. Women have only a half percent of the doctorates in this field. Even in physics minorities hold 6 percent of the doctorates women less than 3 percent. But women hold about 20

percent of the doctorates in the humanities. The minorities only 3 percent. They know where the money is. It's not in the social sciences. Cultural effects in perpetuating career choices last long after overt discrimination ends. I believe reverse discrimination in the setting aside of places for the less competent to redress previous wrongs is harmful to the cause of women who strive for upward mobility. However even a snowman can appreciate the subtle. And sometimes not so subtle discriminatory patterns that not only prevented women from achieving but prevented so many from wanting to achieve. So too it was inappropriate for me to comment on how groups of which I'm not a member feel or should feel about how to make their way up in our society. Let me quote now in part from by Ed Reston. First I want to say a word about racial and ethnic equality. I've always

understood racial and ethnic equality to mean one very simple thing a condition under which each individual has equal opportunity to realize his or her potential as a human being. We want to the society in which each individual only as an individual would have an equal chance. To detract anything or add anything to that is a mistake. Real equality of opportunity will require some fairly radical changes in the way in which we do things. It is a responsibility of doing that which is necessary not on the basis of religion or ethnicity or where you came from but along class lines for all those who have been socially disadvantaged to compete equally with everyone else. It does not mean the use of anti social processes of locking everybody into a racial or ethnic group and determining that this group will be awarded a certain number of jobs or a university education or anything else based on a percentage of the population it does

not mean that we can keep a healthy democracy of special groups attempt to replace the merit system as the chief criterion for determining which people will get ahead and which will not. Mr. Ruston irony complete agreement. I believe that in each sex. In every group there is sufficient talent. So that reverse discrimination the setting aside places for the previously disadvantaged is not required. We are expect and are entitled to equality under the law. And vigilance to assure that the Lord is scrupulously observant. We need programs designed. Perhaps from the cradle up to promote the concept that we shall overcome and with financial and other help we are necessary to make it possible to overcome. All people are not equally talented in all ways. I will never run a four minute mile. Or

dance in the ballet or play in the film of money. And I like to believe that there is no stigma attached to my incompetence in these fields in every field there are the best qualified. Not simply the minimally qualified. We are all served best. If we are blind to all but competence in each endeavor. And we have the wisdom to identify such competence. I'd like to now to discuss Phillip informally two or three comments that I continue to get. To indicate to you what I think are some force. Ideas and some foolish ideas I. Perhaps one of the I don't know how many of you remember that last June I turned down the Ladies Home Journal award as woman scientist of the year. I have turned down a women's

award such as this for very good reason in giving these Women's Awards. There is seldom distinction made between women who have achieved and wives of men who have achieved. I know of no men's Awards which are given on the same basis. When I turned down this award Lenore Hershey in a reply to my saying why I turned down this award and there were a number of reasons why I didn't which I don't want to repeat he said that there will be or there should be a women's award until 51 percent of the Nobel Prize winners are also women because this represents the number in the population. I don't think there has to be 51 percent of women 51 percent of Nobel Prize winners have to be women. I think each of us must identify

what we want to do and not feel guilty for not doing something else. There are women who want to be scientists and we should have the right to be scientists without discrimination. There are women who want to be teachers and they should have the right to be teachers. And there are women who don't want to do any of these things and want to support their husbands in the various ways that wives can. And there should be no stigma attached to this either. I think what we mean by equal opportunity is that we have the right to do as we see fit. And that there should not be value judgments made. If some want to do one thing and others want to do another. I think in a world in which we live it's very unlikely that as many women as men will want to.

Put in the time and blood sweat and tears that is necessary to go up to the top. Frankly I think unfortunately even now. Too few men are willing to put in the blood sweat and tears required to go up to the top. At any rate. My feeling is that I don't want to play the numbers game. I want equal opportunity. I want people to feel free to develop as they see fit not in an image that peer groups forced upon them. As to what they should achieve. I don't think a woman should be unhappy if she chooses to stay home. I think a woman should have the opportunity if she wishes not to stay home. Now you get stories from some of the most liberated of women that always amuses me for instance. Many women will say to

me how does your husband feel about your getting a Nobel Prize. And my answer of course to that is first of all where anybody ever go to one man and say How does your wife feel about your husband getting a Nobel Prize. And my answer after I raise this point is that you know. I simply could not consider that I could not consider being married to anybody who is not a decent person. And it seems to me that anybody who would resent not only a spouse but anybody getting a Nobel prize has something wrong with them. You know you should be happy that people are successful and do things. It doesn't hurt anybody else if I have achieved. I take pleasure in everybody else who has achieved.

Why should one expect that the husband would be unhappy if his wife achieves what the reflection on the kinds of terms people think about other people. There are other stories that one could tell along the line like this. I will not go on very much longer to May the important. Message that I would want to lean with all of you is that if the world is to be a better world we should stop looking around at people who have not done anything and managed to get ahead. Another one of the questions I get that always irritates me when they say women will really have achieved when they can be as competent as men as incompetent as men and have great jobs. What a tragedy this is for our civilization that anybody feels that incompetence is something that we should all strive for. We have to live in a world in which we have to stop thinking

in very selfish terms. I'm not sure whether America is or is not over the hill. Whether we like the Greeks and the Romans or on our way down rather than continuing on our way up. But the one thing that will send us on our way down. Is if we destroy the work ethic among our young. If we are to move it is not just that women must believe in themselves everyone must believe in themselves at each level and with each degree of competence. We must examine what we are. And strive. To be a little bit better. We cannot live in a world of hostility anger and incompetence. We have a lot of problems. We're going to have to work together to solve them. And we're certainly going to all have to work harder if we hope to solve them. Thank you.

The the. The been. The only. You're. Right.

Thank you for joining me Frank Anthony. Tonight. We heard Dr. ROZEN yellow as she gave the keynote speech for the recent women's day symposium at St. Michael's College in Burlington. Next Saturday at 7:00 p.m.. There will be tape segments from some past legendary programs for part of our spring fund raising marathon. Frank Anthony bidding you good evening from. Legendary. And.