Science, Medicine, & Education

Being the only female faculty member at WSBE presented some problems as well as advantages. At the various parties we were invited to, such as the annual Christmas party for all faculty members, I had to choose between being part of the group of professors talking about work, or joining their spouses, all of whom were women. I switched back and forth; it didn’t work very well. One of the advantages was being available and trusted by my female students who were often in my office talking about their issues with discrimination, both in the classrooms and workplace. This was the impetus for me to teach a course for women in management, which turned out to be the first such course taught in the U.S. I taught this course in chronological order: resume writing, interviewing techniques, first day on the job, handling harassment, dealing with children at home, becoming a middle manager and eventually the CEO/head of the organization—examining the discrimination experienced at every stage along the way. [Natasha Josefowitz, ACSW, Ph.D]