Interview Three Generations of American

Interview Three Generations of American Women

HedsLove

In analyzing the changing roles of women in American society, three generations of women were interviewed. For this assignment, the three generations of women represented are a mother, her eldest daughter, and her daughter's eldest daughter.

Starting with the eldest woman, Julia, she was born in 1942 in Kansas City, MO. She completed the 12th grade of High School and then married at the age of 18. For leisure, Julia likes to engage in crafts or reading. Her favorite movie is Sleepless in Seattle. When it comes to art, Julia does not really have a favorite artist, but she sure knows what she does not like, and that is any type of abstract art. When Julia was growing up life was peaceful with a marked lack of drugs. She loved to play make believe -- Cowboys and Indians or house. Julia's most memorable times were of playing outside with her friends. Discipline in her household was not too strict, at least for Julia, since she never wanted to do anything wrong. In fact, Julia cannot remember ever getting a spanking. As a child growing up, Julia remembers wearing dresses and skirts to school and the only place to wear jeans or shorts was at home. Julia was not impressed upon with any family expectations, especially when she expressed an avid interest in joining the military at an early age. Julia left home when she entered the military service at the age of 18 and this became her career for a time. Julia's feelings on marriage and career, simply put, are "That if you are married then marriage is more important than a career, but if you are single then your career will be more important than marriage."

Currently, when Julia is not at work (she has since finished her time in the service) she cleans house, reads, and does arts and crafts. Traveling, and enjoying it, has been a large part of Julia's life due to being in the service and being married to a military officer, kept up the constant travel. Julia's advice to young women of today is to be truthful, to be focused, and if she is a Christian, to exercise her faith -- not second-guess or force things to happen. As for advice on following dreams, if a woman knows what she wants to do, then do it. Julia feels that the computer has made information more accessible now. Looking back at how her family has evolved, Julia sees that even though she came from a divorced home, her children are still happily married, and it looks like they have all grown and learned from their mistakes. Her ultimate role model is Jesus Christ and her female role model is Barbara Bush. Julia does not consider herself a feminist. Her typical day is to wake up, go to work, come home and work around the house and then go to sleep and begin the process all over again the next day.

The second interviewee is Julia's eldest daughter, Terrilee. Terrilee was born in Summerville, SC in 1961. She graduated from high school, grade 12 and married at the age of 21. For leisure time, Terri likes to go hiking or spend time on the beach. Her favorite movie is Serendipity and her favorite artist is Wyland. Since Terri is a child of military parents, normal life was constantly moving their home around the world, approximately every three years. Terri's most vivid memory was when her dad was in the Vietnam War, as a family, they would place a penny in a jar for every day that he was not at home. Terri remembers that discipline at home was not too strict although she did receive her fair share of spankings. She also remembers that they were required to respect their mother from an early age and at all times. Terri also remembers that when they were young, her mother made many of their clothes and she comfortably wore both dresses and pants. As far as her family's expectations, Terri does not remember any pressure to pursue a specific career. When Terri was growing up, she remembers that she wanted to be a 'stay at home' mother. She left home when she was around 20 years old and her career began when she entered the Coast Guard service. When asked the question, "Which do you think is more important, marriage or career?" Terri answered, "Marriage."

When Terri is not at work, she can be found at one of her favorite places, the beach. Terri enjoys traveling, which is a good thing since she is in the service and that requires her family to move approximately every three or four years. When asked what advice she would share with young women of today, she answered, "Find an older woman, a mature woman that you can look up to and talk to and if she is married, include talking with their spouse, too." As for advice on following a person's dreams, Terri said that, "If there is something you want to do then there isn't anything that a woman is not able to do nowadays, but also remember to be realistic and don't put your expectations too high."

Terri feels that the Internet has made information more accessible now. When she looks back over how her family has evolved, she sees that her girls have grown up and that their interaction with each other has changed over the years. Terri's role model is her mother and she does not consider herself a feminist. Terri's typical day has her getting up and going to work and then coming home and hanging out before going to bed and beginning the cycle again.

For the final interviewee, the same questions were posed to Daisy, who is Terri's eldest daughter. Daisy was born in North Falmouth, MA in 1983 and she is currently in her third year of College. She is single and in her leisure time, Daisy is an avid reader. Her favorite movies are Moulin Rouge and Princess Bride. When it comes to choosing her favorite artist, she ardently chooses Wyland. Daisy's memories of her childhood include wearing weird clothes and playing sports. What she remembers most about her childhood is being with her sister and that they did everything together. Daisy remembers that she never liked being disciplined and that if a spanking was required her mother was not able to do it, so it was always given through her dad. Her memories of dressing as a child were dresses when she was very little and wearing weird clothes when she was a little older.

In Daisy's family, the only expectations that have been passed down through her parents was being told that they know that she can do whatever she sets her mind to. For the moment, Daisy wants to be an accountant and while she continues to live at home, she is currently pursuing an accounting degree through her local College. When asked the question, "Which do you think is more important marriage or career?" she replied, "After the fact (marriage) it would be marriage." When Daisy was not at school, or work, then she would hang out with her sister. She also spends a good amount of time reading or selling books on the Internet and playing softball. In answering the question of whether Daisy likes to travel or not, she quickly answered, "No."

The advice that Daisy would give to other young women of today is that, "Whatever you choose to do, be sure that you know what you are getting yourself into." As for following your dreams, "Go for it. Even if people tell you otherwise, try anyways and then you will know for sure." Daisy feels that the computer and the Internet have made information more accessible today. When looking back at how her family has evolved over time, Daisy quips that, "We all grew up, and they got grey hair -- even though mom's keeps disappearing." Daisy does not currently have a role model. When asked if she thought of herself as a feminist, Daisy answered, "Yes and no. Women should be able to do everything, too." Her typical day has her waking up and she either goes to school or work then off to softball practice and finally home to read or work on the computer. When her mother asks her to, Daisy will watch a movie with her and then go to bed to read and then sleep. "And eat somewhere in there, too."