I have parents who made me believe that
it was okay to do things no matter what
I had an older brother and a younger
brother and I was one of the boys if you
will tomboy if you will although my
mother did say when I was a teenager
that I could look forward to a career
perhaps as a teacher as a nurse
something really exciting I could be an
airline stewardess ba not a pilot not a
doctor you know not as Superintendent of
Schools it was just the way things were
why shouldn’t I be able to use
capabilities that I had to do what my
brothers could do or what
Cousteau did along the way I found that
many people did think it was not just
unusual but preposterous when I was
selected to be an Aquanaut for a mission
in 1970 it was still considered to be
unusual enough for women to want to be
underwater explorers the application for
being a part of that didn’t even bother
to say that you had to be a man
unlike the astronaut program that was
going on at that time it was clear this
was for men only but the head of the
program for the tektite project that had
men and women living underwater for two
weeks at a time
it was philosophical about it more than
that he was practical he said well half
the fish are female I guess we could put
up with a few women the the Navy
personnel involved were not quite so
enthusiastic about it there is no
question about it that there’s still a
gender bias with compensation for equal
performance for selection to be in
charge of various projects it’s just a
part of our culture but have to say that
it is exciting to see women CEOs I
personally have served on the boards of
major corporations but always in the
minority always in the minority and I
there is this
this attitude sometimes that you’re
there because you’re a woman you’re the
token woman today young women wanting to
be oceanographers find that the doors
are open you can go aboard ships you can
be chief scientists on expeditions at
sea kids they’re all explorers little
girls little boys doesn’t matter if
they’re just curious we shape categories
that boys can do this girls shouldn’t be
doing this or sometimes you have the joy
of just saying I don’t care what people
think I’m gonna go this way because I
really want to know what’s out there
those are the explorers who emerge
irrespective of what society thinks
you
it was okay to do things no matter what
I had an older brother and a younger
brother and I was one of the boys if you
will tomboy if you will although my
mother did say when I was a teenager
that I could look forward to a career
perhaps as a teacher as a nurse
something really exciting I could be an
airline stewardess ba not a pilot not a
doctor you know not as Superintendent of
Schools it was just the way things were
why shouldn’t I be able to use
capabilities that I had to do what my
brothers could do or what
Cousteau did along the way I found that
many people did think it was not just
unusual but preposterous when I was
selected to be an Aquanaut for a mission
in 1970 it was still considered to be
unusual enough for women to want to be
underwater explorers the application for
being a part of that didn’t even bother
to say that you had to be a man
unlike the astronaut program that was
going on at that time it was clear this
was for men only but the head of the
program for the tektite project that had
men and women living underwater for two
weeks at a time
it was philosophical about it more than
that he was practical he said well half
the fish are female I guess we could put
up with a few women the the Navy
personnel involved were not quite so
enthusiastic about it there is no
question about it that there’s still a
gender bias with compensation for equal
performance for selection to be in
charge of various projects it’s just a
part of our culture but have to say that
it is exciting to see women CEOs I
personally have served on the boards of
major corporations but always in the
minority always in the minority and I
there is this
this attitude sometimes that you’re
there because you’re a woman you’re the
token woman today young women wanting to
be oceanographers find that the doors
are open you can go aboard ships you can
be chief scientists on expeditions at
sea kids they’re all explorers little
girls little boys doesn’t matter if
they’re just curious we shape categories
that boys can do this girls shouldn’t be
doing this or sometimes you have the joy
of just saying I don’t care what people
think I’m gonna go this way because I
really want to know what’s out there
those are the explorers who emerge
irrespective of what society thinks
you
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