Theatre Design & Technology - Summer 1992 - 48

The phenomenon of rhe "invisible"
husband and farher, never ar home, is
ofren complained abour by men
memseh-es, yer ir is nor only accepred
and rewarded by socie~' bur ir is also
submirred ro wirhour grear opposirion by men. They mosrly feel
obliged ro accepr such rerms of comperirion, even if ir is nor a quesrion of
assuring a comforrable srandard of
living for rheir families, bur purely of
demonsrraring rheir abiliry ro
succeed. \X!omen, who ha\'e made rhe
inirial choice of having a family and
children, are usually nor prepared ro
be "invisible morhers." And rhis facr
reflecrs nor only rhe socially imposed
impossibiliry of such a decision bur
also rhe quesrioning of exisring
srandards of professional success and
excellence rhar demand such
"eirher/or" choices.'
The largesr problem in srriving for equality
is one of morivarion. Thearre is an
exrremely comperirive profession. \X!hy
help anyone ger ahead? Furrher, since
sexual equaliry demands some major social
and personal change, is rhere rruly a will ro
do so? Consisrently rhroughour rhe survey
women perceived more problems wirh
gender bias and discriminarion rhan men.

Are people willing ro work on problems
mey don'r recognize?
Hopefully, rhe ideals of equaliry and
social jusrice for all will prevail. These
concerns doverail wirh many "quality of
life" issues rhar have surfaced in discussions
of workload, healrh, and safery. Many
rhearre professionals are rom berween
gerring ahead and rhe rerrible personal
price such success can exacr.
In rhe end ir comes down ro rhar old
Sixries rerm, "consciousness raising." The
experience of discriminarion is much like
rhe experience of physical pain. The pain
of orhers is always suspecr because rhere is
no objecrive way ro measure irs exisrence.
Yer, rhe suffer's abilir)' ro obrain relief is
largely dependent her ability ro convince
orhers (for example a docror) of rhe rype
and intensity of rhe pain. How can women
express rhe experience of discriminarion so
(har rhose empowered ro remedy (hese acrs
will hear rhe plea? This survey is far from
scientifically perfect. Bur perhaps ir will
give some voice ro rhe pain of discriminarion so rhar ir will be heard and relief
will be found.
Meanwhile, females who wish ro
pursue careers in rechnical rhearre fields
dominared by men should assume a
posirive asserrive arrirude. According ro
Claudia Goldin, professor of economics ar

Harvard Uni\'ersiry and aurhor of a new
book called Understanding the Gender Gap,
women who acr like vicrims are rhe leasr
likely ro succeed. Says Goldin, "Our besr
hope for rhe furure are women who don'r
see rhe (glass) ceiling bu r me sky." \
~
Raynette Halvorson Smith is director ofthe
School of Theatre at Kent State University
and producing director of the Porthouse
Theatre in Cleveland, OH.
Lisa Aitken is the properties manager for the
Skylight Opera in Milwaukee, \Vl, and the
USITT vice-commissioner for etworking
for W0men.
Patricia Blom is a director, costume designel;
and associate professor of Communication
Arts and Sciences at Calvin College in Grand
Rapids, MI.
Endnores
Jadyn Fierman. U\Vh~' Women S[ill Don'[ Hi[ [he
Top," FommdO Jul), 1990: 0-62.
:\'ancy Hartsock, "Foucault on Power: A Theor.... for
\Xlo~en: .. FrmillismlPoJtmodrrn;sm, Ed. Linda J.
:\icholson (:\ew York: Routledge, 1990) 168.
Joyce jUSillS, Tilt Univrniry 0 CalifonJia in thr TUKIll)'
First Cmmry: SlIccmji,1 Approad", to Famlt)' Dirmif).
(California: Cni"mir)' of California, 1987).
~·..1aria ;\tarkus, "\'(Iomen, Success and Civil ocier)',"
Frmini$m as Critiqllf, Ed. Seyla Benhabib and Drucilla
Cornell (i\tinneapolis: University of i\1inneSOt3 Press,
1987) 106.
Claudia Goldin, Undmtanding r!" Gmd" Gap, New
Perspec[i,'cs 17. (W,,-,hington, DC. 1985).

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46

1992 SUMMER

TD&T

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Theatre Design & Technology - Summer 1992
