Women and Sex Discrimination

Laura A. Ingraham (“Perspectives on Affirmative Action,” Commentary, April 19) says, “I have never seen a case where a woman who wanted to enter a particular profession was prevented from doing so because of her sex.” Where has she been--on a desert island? Perhaps it’s her youth that has kept her sheltered. From an older person’s perspective, I can give her lots of firsthand experience on being turned down because of being female.

-- First job as a radio writer, 1943. OK to be hired to write boilerplate continuity, introduce songs, etc.--but, even though my schooling was in journalism, I wasn’t allowed to write any news because I was a woman. I know the reason, because I later married my boss and he told me that was it.

-- Advertising and broadcast production director, Seattle, 1949. OK to do all the budgeting, art direction, writing, etc., but only men allowed to be account executives. Made clear on hiring and reinforced frequently as I sought promotions.

-- Radio-TV producer, KING-TV Seattle, 1952. Only woman hired in this capacity. Hired to handle four complete shows weekly, replacing a man who had more salary and was only required to produce two shows weekly. Told “that’s the way it is if you want the job” on application.

-- Finished course work for a Ph.D. in English at USC, 1972. Asked if opportunities were going to improve for women in academia, where they were very underrepresented. Reply from department chairman, direct quote: “They’ll hire women here over my dead body.”

-- Gave up on the employment scene and started my own firm as a consultant, which is what more and more women are doing. If more examples are needed, I’ve got friends discriminated against and would be glad to compile volumes for Ingraham.

FRANCES J. ROBERTS

San Pedro

There were two claims made by Jenijoy La Belle in her interesting commentary, that she was the first woman hired at the professorial level at Caltech and that in April of 1979 she became the only tenured woman on the Caltech faculty.

Although La Belle may be correct on her first assertion, she is wrong on her second one. In 1971, Dr. Olga Taussky Todd, of the mathematics department, received the professorial position she well deserved. Actually, Dr. Taussky Todd was hired by Caltech in 1957 and served in the mathematics department as a research associate until 1971 (and had been granted tenure in 1963). This fact could perhaps be presented as evidence in support for La Belle’s case.

R. A. MENA

Westminster