The road to true equality for women in the workplace is built on the work of so many. This morning I learned of the passing of one of its quiet giants, Gerald Gardner. If, like me, you were born before 1973, you recall seeing employment ads stating “Man Wanted” or “Woman Wanted.” There they were, every day, in every paper across the nation, some even broken down into sections labeled “Job Openings for Men” and “Job Openings for Women.”
Gardner, a founding member of the Pittsburgh chapter of NOW, provided some important ammunition for that group to challenge this common practice. Gardner calculated the money a woman would lose over her lifetime because she couldn’t apply for a “Man Wanted” position. This research became the basis for NOW’s groundbreaking complaint against the Pittsburgh Press. The case went to the U.S. Supreme Court, and, in 1973, the court ruled that the practice of specifying sex in employment ads was illegal.
Gardner would be noteworthy for this effort alone, but this man, whom his wife described as shy, gentle, and quiet, continued to work behind the scenes throughout his life. He could be found picketing in support of integrating girls at Little League games or providing additional statistical support to fuel other lawsuits such as the one filed by NOW and the Pittsburgh NAACP against the Pittsburgh police department.
What inspired this man with a master’s degree in applied mathematics from what is now Carnegie Mellon University and a doctorate from Princeton in mathematical physics to apply his skills to these issues? At AAUW, we refer to people like Gardner as “men who get it.”
In 1987, AAUW opened its ranks to allow males to become members. People often asked AAUW’s first male member, John Freeman, why he would join a predominately female organization. He replied, “Any time a group within our culture is not allowed opportunities for development, all people in the society are harmed.” John Freeman was another man who got it.
As director of corporate relationships for AAUW, I’m in frequent contact with the business community, sharing the mission of AAUW. It’s come to the point where I can hear in my contacts’ voices whether they get it and, even more importantly whether they believe it. They’re the ones who walk in their wife’s, or daughter’s, or mother’s, or sister’s shoes. They’ve seen and internalized the myriad injustices and know that it’s just not fair. Most importantly, they help where they can — some in the halls of Congress, some in the boardrooms of corporations, and others by volunteering to coach their daughter’s lacrosse team. So, here’s to Gerald Gardner and other men of conscience; we’re glad you get it.
Written by Cordy Galligan, AAUW Director of Corporate Relationships.
