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Sometimes when I see what is going on in our world I wonder how many steps forward women have actually made in recent years. Yesterday I read a jarring statistic asserting one out of every seven female students at the University of Texas is raped. Factor in the number of unreported sexual assaults due to the stigma attached or fear of not being believed this number could be significantly low. Over and over reports of sexual abuse by those entrusted with our children surface in the news. Just this week a trial is being highlighted involving abuse by a doctor in the Olympic community spanning years and many female athletes.
Some say this casts a light on how we are raising our boys. I don’t know if this is the answer. Maybe the problem is fueled by the good old boy mentality prevalent in school governing boards particularly when it comes to the protecting their star athletes. When did eliciting sex from an unwilling partner become the norm or accepted behavior? Why are young women heading off to college campuses not being protected?
Women fight uphill on so many issues. Even after all these years working in the workplace with men women continue to lag behind in compensation when bringing the same credentials and education to the table as their male counterparts. Is it them, or is it us? Somewhere deep in our subconscious do we still believe we are worth less or somehow less deserving? Certainly this message continues to be brought to the fore. A recent picture taken in D.C. depicting a panel of lawmakers discussing women’s issues made it crystal clear this way of thinking still exists. All male faces sat around the table. How does that work? How is a panel fully populated with men likely to come to a reasonable and unbiased conclusion about a subject simply not affecting nor resonating with them? It reminded me of a class I took years ago at the Catholic church before marrying my first husband. The discussion was marriage, with all that entails. The teacher, a priest. Hmmmmm.
When I began my career it was a very male dominated work environment. The company I worked for was a major engineering company employing largely male engineers with women thrown about in supporting roles. The two female engineers with offices in the building both so much men they hardly counted as members of the opposing team. Getting to know them as time passed one explained in order to be taken seriously among her peers it was necessary to dress the part. Again, really? At the time women were expected to make and fetch coffee for their male co-workers. Once I was engaged in a critical phone call with a major client overseas. In the middle of the call one of the engineers came to stand at my desk obviously needing my immediate attention. Excusing myself for a moment I asked what the problem was. The engineer leaned down to explain the coffee pot in the break room was empty. I had several suggestions for him, both of which I filed away for my own enjoyment.
On another job I was an executive assistant to the plant manager of a metal can manufacturer. I was young, in my mid-twenties. The gentleman I worked for (I’m using this term loosely) recently had celebrated his fortieth birthday. Cresting the hill into mid-life hadn’t settled well with him. To add to his gray hairs his second wife, barely out of diapers, entertained very rich tastes. The man was well paid. I know this because I also did his banking. However, with his first wife siphoning alimony and child support from each check and the second burning rubber on the credit cards every day the man had stress, big stress. Nevertheless, working for him should have come with a larger paycheck on my side. Most of my day, when not making coffee, arranging golf lessons, researching vacation options, or making his children’s doctor or dental appointments was spent running his personal errands. At least once a week I picked up an order at the dry cleaners, took his car to be washed and waxed and stopped for a carton of cigarettes at the smoke shop. Several times I actually gathered his little boy at the soccer field, stopped for a loaf of bread and some lunch meat and dropped both off with the babysitter at home. What exactly did the bride do besides enter a store? Thank God I’d taken the time to get an education so I would be prepared to assume such weighty responsibilities. After enduring nearly two years of such nonsense young or not I’d had enough. Aside from the endless errand running also falling under my job responsibilities was alcohol counselor and facilitator. At least once a week he returned to the office after a serious liquid lunch requiring at least a pot of coffee to finish off the afternoon. Looking back I’m amazed a single can ever made it off the assembly line and onto the truck at the loading gate.
On more than one occasion I’ve been the beneficiary of unsolicited advances from my supervisors or co-workers. One of my bosses took me to lunch on Secretary’s Day. A gesture I thought thoughtful until over coffee he laid his hand suggestively on my knee and indicated we consider getting to know another in the most Biblical sense. He was married as was I. I removed his hand and said I would alert my husband to his proposal and see if he was on board before moving forward. End of conversation. End of job as well. This made for an extremely uncomfortable work day. Not long after the incident I began to look for a new place to work. These days I would have reported such behavior. Back then you sucked it up and moved on.
Women are amazing creatures to my mind. Multi-tasking their way through their lives maintaining a strong and resilient backbone for their families. I’m not a bra burner, and enjoy all that comes with being a woman, but when it comes to these issues I could easily pen a poster and fall in line behind others of my kind to fight the good fight.
At any rate, there is no debate about how good this chicken is. It looks like you went all out when really there is not much prep required.
Meyer Lemon and Tangelo Chicken
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 Meyer lemons, 1 juiced, 1 sliced
2 Tangelos, 1 juiced, 1 sliced
1 large onion, sliced thin
1/3 cup olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
Juice of 1 Meyer lemon
Juice of 1 tangelo
1 Tbsp. Italian seasoning
1 tsp. Kosher salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. dried cilantro
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp. rosemary
1/2 tsp. basil
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Spray 13 x 9″ pan with cooking spray. Place sliced onion on bottom of dish. Whisk together olive oil, garlic, juices, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, paprika, cilantro, and red pepper flakes. Drop chicken in mixture and turn to coat well. Place chicken on top of onion slices. Pour remaining marinade over chicken. Arrange sliced fruit around and on top of meat. Sprinkle rosemary and basil over top. Place in oven for 40-45 mins. basting twice. If liquid gets too low add a little water.
Serves 4
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