“But at every turn
my sisters would be told -- more through signals than words -- that success for
them would be "marrying well." I was meanwhile hearing that the
world's opportunities were there for me to seize.” Warren Buffett from his Fortune magazine
essay.
For many years, women were taught to ensure their future
they should marry well. If they did get
to college it was to hook a husband. So
much has changed but yet so much has remained the same. Recently my mother told me that a distant
female cousin of mine was graduating from high school AND getting married. Both my mother and I were amazed and
confused. We talked about what potential
she had and for the life of me; I could not understand the concept of getting
married at that age.
But then again, my mother always taught me (a child of the
80s) that I did not have to marry. I was
lucky enough to go to college and then graduate school. Marriage was an option, a choice, but so was
my career path. I was never told by my
mother that I needed to get married.
When I passed by 30th birthday then my 35th she
never told me I was less than I should be because I wasn’t married. But I was fulfilling my career path.
We all need strong role models in order to help us fulfill
the potential within us. I believe
looking to men and women who teach young women that they can do anything they
want is the best gift we can give the next generation.
Making sure that women are empowered by everyone is a
concept that will one day become a reality.
Suzanne Cormier
Executive Director
BizWorks (Small Business Incubator)
Follow Suzanne Cormier on Facebook and
Twitter @BizWorksCenter
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