Celebrate Carson City's trailblazing women during 2019 Women’s History Month

As we celebrate Women’s History Month, we want to acknowledge local women who have blazed the trail for today’s women continuing to make a difference in a world once dominated by men. It wasn’t so very long ago men dominated the highest non-elected positions in Carson City government.

The position of City Manager was traditionally held by a male until Linda Ritter broke the pattern in 2003. Since she retired in 2008, two males held the position until Nancy Paulson was confirmed in December 2018 after the resignation of Nick Marano. And, now, the deputy city manager is also female, Adriana Fralick.

Female elected city supervisors were not in the majority then and are not in the majority today. Since 1969 when Carson City became a consolidated municipality, there have been 9 female supervisors. Only two to date have served the full three terms — Kay Bennett (Ward 4) was elected in 1988 and Robin Williamson (Ward 1) was elected in 1998. Ward 3 is the only ward claiming 3 female elected supervisors: Thelma Calhoun (1974); Marilee Chirila (1986); and today is served by Lori Bagwell, first elected in 2004. There has not been a woman elected as Mayor.

Just about every major department within the city today is now under female control. Jennifer Budge runs the Carson City Parks and Recreation Department; Courtney Warner oversees the Senior Center; and the Transportation Division within the male dominated Public Works is supervised by Lucia Maloney.

In the elected category, Aubrey Rowlat serves as the Carson City Clerk-Recorder and Gale Robertson is the City Treasurer overseeing city funds. Nicki Aaker runs the Health and Human Services Department; Sheri Russell is the city’s Chief Financial Officer; and Melanie Bruketta is the Director of Human Resources.

In the uberly male dominated field of “first responders,” there were two females who may have held interim jobs as sheriff: Anita Smith served from October 23, 1958 until January 4, 1959 and Ruth Hoffman served from October 6, 1966 until January 1, 1967. Other than that, it’s been all burly males.

Research shows the fire chiefs have all been male to date. Today’s lone female in the law enforcement sector is Ali Bannister who heads the Juvenile Probation Department.

Sadly, there has been only one woman elected to the state legislature from Assembly District 40. Former teacher Bonnie Parnell served two terms beginning in 1998. Our Senate District 16 has never been represented by a female senator. Douglas County has never elected a woman to represent them in either house.

That may someday change since this year Nevada became the first state legislature to be dominated by women with 50.8 percent of the 63 seats. According to the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University, this is a cause to celebrate. Perhaps we will see a kinder and more gentle session this year.

Women are far outpacing men when it comes to earning college degrees and have been doing so since 1981. According to the U.S. Census Bureau Population Survey, as of 2017, two-thirds of all master’s degrees were earned by women between the ages of 18-24. That’s 167 women for every 100 males.

This statistic holds up at Western Nevada College where enrollment in the Fall of 2017 showed 56 percent female enrollees vs 44 percent male.

Though most of the degrees were earned by white women and men, the same statistics were found to hold true among the various ethnic groups. Black, Hispanic and Asian women outnumbered their male counterparts in earning Bachelor’s, Master’s, Professional and Doctoral degrees.

And, it gets better, women between 25-34 earned the majority of doctoral degrees. But, that does not mean they earn as much as their male counterparts in the same field. According to a survey of U.S. physicians by Doximity, Inc., female doctors earned about 28 percent less than their male counterparts And, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2016, women earned about 80 percent of what men earned.

Each year as I write an article to celebrate Women’s History Month, I am reminded of the long road women have traveled since the beginning of time, yet there is still such a long road ahead before there will be equality in the truest sense of the word. Why this topic continues is subject of much debate.

Women’s History Month was proclaimed by a Joint Resolution in the 100th Congress on March 12, 1987,
Because “the role of American women in history has been consistently overlooked and undervalued in the body of American history.” How far have women really come in 31 years since this resolution?

PUBLIC LAW 100-9-MAR. 12, 1987 101 STAT. 99 Public Law 100-9 100th Congress: Joint Resolution Mar 12 1987 To designate the month of March, 1987, as "Women's History Month"JR 201 Whereas American women of every race, class, and ethnic background have made historical contributions to the growth and strength of the Nation in countless recorded and unrecorded ways;

Whereas American women have played and continue to play a critical economic, cultural, and social role in every sphere of our Nation's life by constituting a significant portion of the labor force working in and outside of the home;

Whereas American women have played a unique role throughout our history by providing the majority of the Nation's volunteer labor force and have been particularly important in the establishment of early charitable philanthropic and cultural institutions in this country;

Whereas, American women of every race, class, and ethnic background served as early leaders in the forefront of every major progressive social change movement, not only to secure their own right of suffrage and equal opportunity, but also in the abolitionist movement, the emancipation movement, the industrial labor movement, the civil rights movement, and other movements to create a more fair and just society for all;

And whereas, despite these contributions, the role of American women in history has been consistently overlooked and undervalued in the body of American history: Now, therefore, be it Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled.

That the month of March,1987, is designated as "Women's History Month", and the President is requested to issue a proclamation calling upon the people of the United States to observe such month with appropriate ceremonies and activities. Approved March 12, 1987.

— Writer Ronni Hannaman is the Executive Director of the Carson City Chamber of Commerce