[speaker001:] well I wondered if I was going to get to talk to a male or a female on this topic
[speaker002:] have you been talking to males yeah yeah this is this is probably more interesting if it had been a male and a female
[speaker001:] I was afraid we might get into an argument well uh
[speaker002:] right
[speaker001:] I guess uh there have been certainly a lot of changes in the last couple of generations for uh the roles of women
[speaker002:] um-hum
[speaker001:] and uh I guess the most significant probably is that so many are working now and trying to juggle
[speaker002:] right
[speaker001:] job and home and family and all sorts of other possibilities you know they may be going to school or may have elderly parents or you know all sorts of other things
[speaker002:] yeah it it seems too me like though women's roles are changing faster than the men and therefore the women are spreading themselves thinner
[speaker001:] oh I think so
[speaker002:] than before
[speaker001:] absolutely I I I think it's extremely difficult to keep up with all that uh we have to these days
[speaker002:] um-hum
[speaker001:] sometimes I think I am going crazy trying to do it but
[speaker002:] do you work outside the home
[speaker001:] yes
[speaker002:] do you have children
[speaker001:] uh yes they are getting older now so they are not quite as much of a responsibility but they are still there you know they still take time and
[speaker002:] uh-huh oh sure
[speaker001:] and I you know I still provide most of the the things that go on around the house
[speaker002:] right
[speaker001:] so uh yeah and for a while I was going to school to and that it was tough
[speaker002:] yeah I uh I think that while it's a good change for I think women to be able to fulfill their potential in whatever they feel you know their expertise may be uh I think sometimes other things suffer and that I think it's hard to find a balance there
[speaker001:] um-hum but in some ways I think we are expected to do it all you're almost looked down upon if you don't try to do all of these things and that's where the problem is really
[speaker002:] right yeah yeah I have little children four and one and I decided that it was very important to me to stay home um and
[speaker001:] uh-huh
[speaker002:] when I I I happen to you know be I'm very active with uh people other people with children my age and most of us do tend to stay home but when I run into people that you know just have recently had had babies or have very young children and are working full time I there's almost a uh friction between us
[speaker001:] uh-huh
[speaker002:] um not people that are you know necessarily good friends even though that has happened too uh it it's almost as though it puts you on different sides of a fence you know when if you decide to go back to work then
[speaker001:] yeah
[speaker002:] you feel like you are always having to defend yourself and and if you don't then sometimes you feel like you're looked down upon by people that go back to work and so you're just wasting your time at home
[speaker001:] right yeah yeah it's a tough one I mean I've done some of both I when my kids were real little I was at home for a couple of different periods of time oh I think the longest was less than a year but still
[speaker002:] um-hum um-hum
[speaker001:] at least I was able to to spend you know those first months with them
[speaker002:] right
[speaker001:] but uh I mostly went back to work because I was tired of doing without things you know the money was the issue
[speaker002:] yeah
[speaker001:] but uh even now I would I would like to not have to work in some ways it it's a kind of pull and tug on the other hand
[speaker002:] right yeah
[speaker001:] I can't imagine just being at home uh although I have a lot of interests and a lot of things I would like to pursue
[speaker002:] uh-huh
[speaker001:] uh still uh there's there's sort of a feeling of accomplishment with having you know a job and all that goes with that
[speaker002:] no that that's definitely true in fact I I work out of my home um I'm an accountant and I do taxes and bookkeeping and
[speaker001:] oh
[speaker002:] I uh it it was it's a way for me to stay home
[speaker001:] um-hum
[speaker002:] and I mean I still unfortunately have to be very disciplined in in doing my work at five in the morning and ten o'clock at night but
[speaker001:] yeah
[speaker002:] uh but but it it's worked out for for my family uh to have my cake and eat it too kind of thing
[speaker001:] yeah yeah that's a good deal where do you think this is going in the future I mean do you think things are going to change or are we going to keep having to try to juggle all of this
[speaker002:] well I I I hope that they will change uh but but I'm I just I know it's going to be a slow change uh I I feel as though a lot of people are going back to just having a one wage earner I mean I'm just thinking of my circle of people that I know I know quite a few people who have decided to not have both both uh couples you know both uh of the parents work and yet um
[speaker001:] yeah
[speaker002:] I I well I hope to see employer based you know helping out you know child uh care centers at the place of employment and and things like that that will help out
[speaker001:] um-hum
[speaker002:] what do you think do you think we're setting a trend here or
[speaker001:] I don't yeah I well I see I think some people wanting to stay home more and take care of the children uh and even those who may not do it seem to be
[speaker002:] um-hum
[speaker001:] spending more time with their kids and really trying harder at making all of the the family things work
[speaker002:] right
[speaker001:] uh but I don't know if they're going to ever give up their careers you know It's sort of like they went to school and they worked so hard to get where they are I don't know if they want to completely give that up
[speaker002:] right it is a very personal thing
[speaker001:] but it would be nice if there could be an in-between a middle ground somewhere
[speaker002:] yeah I think it's hard though when you talk about about families and and raising children because children I think children have a hard time understanding a middle ground I think they uh they need security and yet they I don't know I from speaking from my children they they aren't real flexible when it comes to things like that
[speaker001:] yeah
[speaker002:] they uh they they want to know things are going to be a certain way
[speaker001:] well yeah I think they they like a routine of sorts
[speaker002:] um-hum right well we'll see I I'm hoping to see more female leadership in in our society
[speaker001:] well yes I I like the fact that you know gradually you're beginning to see women in public office and executive positions but it's still a long way from being what it ought to be
[speaker002:] oh yes and the the numbers are still very skewed to say the least
[speaker001:] yeah okay well I enjoyed talking to you all right good-bye
[speaker002:] okay you too Ellen bye-bye