ABSTRACT
Gender has been an issue in the author's life for as long as she can remember. She was the only girl in a family of three children. Growing up in a small, southern town during the 1960s, she saw and experienced the expectations placed on girls, and although gender roles may have been unfair, they were quite clear. The boys at her elementary school were allowed to wear jeans, but as a girl, the author was at the mercy of the weather when it came to wearing pants to school. Only if the temperature dipped below a certain level were they allowed to wear pants. The girls were also expected to sit still, listen, and do well in their studies. As a young adult, the author knew her parents believed that her education was important because when she decided to get married after her sophomore year in college, her mother tried to talk her into waiting.
