Women on the Web - International Woman’s Day, Cheaper by the Dozen and more

Mar 9, 2008

Women on the Web - International Woman’s Day, Cheaper by the Dozen and more

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Lillian Moller Gilbreth Yesterday, March 8th, was International Women’s Day. Are you aware of the history of this significant day? To quote from their website,

…International Women’s Day has been observed since in the early 1900’s, a time of great expansion and turbulence in the industrialized world that saw booming population growth and the rise of radical ideologies.

1908
Great unrest and critical debate was occurring amongst women. Women’s oppression and inequality was spurring women to become more vocal and active in campaigning for change. Then in 1908, 15,000 women marched through New York City demanding shorter hours, better pay and voting rights.

1909
In accordance with a declaration by the Socialist Party of America, the first National Woman’s Day (NWD) was observed across the United States on 28 February. Women continued to celebrate NWD on the last Sunday of February until 1913.….MORE….

The timeline continues until this year. It’s a fascinating read!

Several blogs picked up on this day and wrote great postings about famous women on the web/in the world etc., including:

Personally, whenever I think of women who made things happen back in the early 1900s, the first person to come to mind is Lillian Moller Gilbreth. Have you heard of her? I’ll bet you have - anyone who went thru public schooling has either heard of, or read, the book "Cheaper by the Dozen." Right?

Well, did you know the mother in the book is considered the Mother of Modern Management? She was a driving force and partner of her husband, Frank Butler Gilbreth, in his Motion Studies business and invention/innovation.

Truly a inspiring figure, Lillian Moller Gilbreth authored several books about time management; I managed to snag quite a few on eBay and have read them from cover to cover. Her insights are brilliant! To wit:

…Lillian Gilbreth was the mother of modern management. Together with her husband Frank, she pioneered industrial management techniques still in use today. She was one of the first "superwomen" to combine a career with her home life. She was a prolific author, the recipient of many honorary degrees, and the mother of 12. She is perhaps best remembered for motherhood. Her children wrote the popular books Cheaper by the Dozen and Belles on Their Toes about their experiences growing up with such a large and famous family. But Lillian Moller Gilbreth was not only a mother; she was an engineer and an industrial psychologist.

Lillian excelled in high school and decided that she wanted to study literature and music. Her father did not believe in higher education for women. He felt they needed only enough knowledge to manage a home gracefully. But Lillian persuaded him to let her attend the University of California at Berkeley while living at home and maintaining her family duties. When she obtained her B.A. in literature in 1900, she was the first woman to speak at a University of California commencement….MORE….

You can actually see the original motion studies experiments done by the Gilbreths over at Archive.org:

And there are plenty of online resources from which you can learn more about Lillian, Frank and the kids including:

The spirit behind what drives awesome women and men to achieve miracles in their daily lives is truly inspiring. And let me close this posting by telling you of THE most awesome woman alive today - a housewife who knows more history than 99% of college professors the world over. In a nutshell, she raised one kid to become a professor at the University of Berkeley, another to become a Wall Street Financier, and the third, an entrepreneur who has written over 25 books/ebooks online.

Her best bit of wisdom?

"What’s the meaning of life? The meaning of life is that you’re born, you live, you die, but by the time you die, you’ve made the world a better place. It might mean touching only the lives of your family, it might mean influencing a company or city, it might mean changing a whole nation….the main point is, the world is now a better place…because you’ve been in it."

Who is this woman? Why, my mom of course. One of the most awesome people on this planet.

Here’s to you, Mom! You’re the true epitomy of what being a woman….really means.

ThankYouVeryMuch!

Owlbert

ps - here some great Gilbreth goodies you can find on eBay:

Please click here to continue your search.

How much of the world revolves around you?

(By the way, if you have any questions about the topics in this posting "Women on the Web - International Woman’s Day, Cheaper by the Dozen and more", do comment below - I'll try to clarify any issues).

Barbara Ling and Owlbert

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