Women S History Month

Cindy Gail Konits' pictures make viewers think twice about sexual stereotypes.On display at the Baltimore Museum of Industry, her exhibit of 40 black and white photographs depicts 23 working women in fields historically dominated by men. The show, "The Best Woman for the Job," introduces women in fields such as construction, railroad engineering and steelworking, which the photographer hopes will expose viewers to non-traditional career options for women...

Just about every year, the Social Security Administration sends my husband and me a statement, showing how much we have earned each year of our working lives, what we have contributed to Social Security and what our benefits will be when we retire. The document is kind of amusing. I didn't remember what I made at 16 as a salad girl for a smorgasbord restaurant, but there it is. And I can see what my husband made as a bus boy at a local hotel restaurant during college. But I used these Social Security statements to create another kind of report for my son and my daughter, both adults now and earning a living.

Just about every year, the Social Security Administration sends my husband and me a statement, showing how much we have earned each year of our working lives, what we have contributed to Social Security and what our benefits will be when we retire. The document is kind of amusing. I didn't remember what I made at 16 as a salad girl for a smorgasbord restaurant, but there it is. And I can see what my husband made as a bus boy at a local hotel restaurant during college. But I used these Social Security statements to create another kind of report for my son and my daughter, both adults now and earning a living.

Maryland has museums devoted to African Americans, artists, war veterans and sports legends. Starting this spring, it will have a center devoted to more than half the state's adult population: women. When the Maryland Women's Heritage Center and Museum opens in downtown Baltimore, planners say, it will be the first of its kind in the nation - a community forum that will recognize stories of achievement by Maryland women - from Harriet Tubman to Rachel Carson to Marin Alsop.

March is National Women's History Month -- but does that meant it's just a girl thing? Of course not! The Yak thinks it's a great time for everyone to salute the achievements of women. One great woman in history was Elizabeth "Lizzie" Stanton.Women haven't always had the same rights as men. When the United States was founded more than 200 years ago, women couldn't own property. In fact, women were considered the property of their fathers or husbands. And women couldn't vote.But in the mid-1800s, a group of women -- including Lizzie -- decided they wanted to have the same rights as men, including the right to vote.

Howard County's Commission for Women invites students, including public, private or home-schooled, in grades 6-12 to participate in its essay contest in honor of Women's History Month. This year's theme is "Writing Women Back into History." Deadline is Jan. 20. Essays should be e-mailed to women@howardcountymd.gov or mailed to the Commission for Women Student Essay Contest, 6751 Columbia Gateway Drive, Suite 300, Columbia 21046. First-place winners will receive a $200 U.S. Savings Bond and be invited to read their essays at the Women's Hall of Fame induction ceremony on March 11 at Howard Community College.

MARCH is Women's History Month and, since statistics help form the raw material of history, the Census Bureau has summarized some pertinent data about women in the United States:Population: In 1990, there were 127.5 million women in the nation, 51 percent of the U.S. population. The women's population in 1994 is projected to be 133.4 million. Overall, women outnumbered men by 6 million in 1990.There were equal numbers of men and women aged 25 to 34. More men than women are born each year, but because men always have higher death rates during the young adult years, the ratio begins to even out.Business: The growth rate of women-owned businesses was more than four times greater than the rate for all businesses from 1982 to 1987.

When it comes to celebrating the role of women in American history, the best book to come out recently is "American Women: Their Lives in Their Words" by Doreen Rappaport (HarperTrophy paperback, $6.95, ages 12 and up).Of course, there's not much competition.March is Women's History Month, which hasn't yet sparked the glut of new books that precedes Black History Month. Publishers are beginning to fill the vacuum, however, and here's hoping that they will follow the lead of Ms. Rappaport's excellent non-fiction compilation.

IT'S HARD to believe that spring is less than two weeks away. And with spring comes rainy weather and a desire to clear the decks for the new season. Here are a few pleasant things to do while sitting out the March rainy season -- and some suggestions for getting rid of winter's accumulation of debris.March is Women's History Month and in its honor Cadette/Senior Girl Scout Troop 1617 has mounted a display at the Savage library.Come muse over interesting facts about women from the past and present, take quizzes and be enchanted by wise quotations.

The work of Irma Shanahan, an artist and member of the Harford Artists Association, will be displayed in "Women's Art Works 4," a national exhibit commemorating Women's History Month.Ms. Shanahan's work was one of 60 selected from 500 artists submitting nearly 1,500 entries.The exhibit will be on display through April 9 at the Shoestring Gallery in Rochester, N.Y. It will then move to the National Women's Hall of Fame in Seneca, N.Y., where it will be on view April 16 through May 7.The National Women's Hall of Fame honors and celebrates the achievements of American women.

Howard County's Commission for Women invites students, including public, private or home-schooled, in grades 6-12 to participate in its essay contest in honor of Women's History Month. This year's theme is "Writing Women Back into History." Deadline is Jan. 20. Essays should be e-mailed to women@howardcountymd.gov or mailed to the Commission for Women Student Essay Contest, 6751 Columbia Gateway Drive, Suite 300, Columbia 21046. First-place winners will receive a $200 U.S. Savings Bond and be invited to read their essays at the Women's Hall of Fame induction ceremony on March 11 at Howard Community College.

The Commission for Women will hold its 20th annual Women's History Month Luncheon from 12:15 p.m. to 3 p.m. March 7 at Richlin Ballroom, 1700 Van Bibber Road, Edgewood. Harford County District Judges Mimi R. Cooper and Angela M. Eaves will present "Through the Eyes of Her Honors," a discussion of the District Court of Maryland and its agencies. Tickets for the luncheon, which includes a hot buffet, are $22 and must be purchased by Feb. 23. Information: 410-638-3117.

You go, girls! March is nearly over and so is Women's History Month, but hang on. The celebration of women's past and current contributions to society continues. In a program this weekend, Barnes & Noble in Towson looks not to the past but to the future, showing girls who they can grow up to be. Called "Women of the Future," the event features a panel of local women engineers who will talk about their experiences in a traditionally male-dominated career field and the options they've found within it. The book You Can Be a Woman Engineer by Judith Love Cohen will be used as a general guide and launching point, and other books from the You Can Be a Woman ... series will be on hand to inspire young minds.

But for her sweater and a morning meeting that took her from her Pentagon office to another room in the sprawling building Sept. 11, Lt. Col. Marilyn Wills wouldn't be here today. The meeting started minutes before her desk was engulfed in flames. The sweater, soaked from the sprinklers, provided water as Wills and her co-workers sucked on its fibers as they groped for an exit through the smoke. Wills led the procession to a window on the second floor, where they jumped to safety. Wills, the Army personnel chief's liaison to Congress, won the Soldier's Medal for her valor that day. But the mother of two from Prince George's County insists the real heroes are those fighting in Afghanistan.

But for her sweater and a morning meeting that took her from her Pentagon office to another room in the sprawling building Sept. 11, Lt. Col. Marilyn Wills wouldn't be here today. The meeting started minutes before her desk was engulfed in flames. The sweater, soaked from the sprinklers, provided water as Wills and her co-workers sucked on its fibers as they groped for an exit through the smoke. Wills led the procession to a window on the second floor, where they jumped to safety. Wills, the Army personnel chief's liaison to Congress, won the Soldier's Medal for her valor that day. But the mother of two from Prince George's County insists the real heroes are those fighting in Afghanistan.

BOSTON -- On the whole, I do prefer history-in-the-making. So I tip my hat to Elizabeth Dole as she places each foot ever so carefully on the runway to the title of "First Serious Female Contender for the Presidency."Announcing her "exploratory committee" this month, Ms. Dole looked like the perfect focus group candidate: competent, competitive and compassionate.Against the macho soundtrack from "Top Gun" she did a female-friendly Oprah impression. Despite a resume of jobs in five administrations, she assured us that she wasn't a politician.