P.E.O. Record
Celebrating Differences Building Bridges
Give your difference, welcome my difference, and unify all difference in the larger whole–such is the law of growth.
In what decade were you born? What were your childhood memories? Who were your heroes? What did you want to be when you grew up? What did you expect from life?
Depending on when you were born, the answers to these questions can take very different form. The span of a generation shapes the world such that women born a handful of years apart can have disparate understandings and expectations of society and about themselves. The era in which a woman was born contributes to her conception of self, her outlook on life and her motivational influences. Differences inspired by these eras can serve to divide, but with the right unifying force, difference fades away.
P.E.O. is made up of all types of women, but we are united by our sisterhood in an organization whose cornerstone of friendship counters difference. From seven close-knit friends at Iowa Wesleyan College in 1869, P.E.O. International has grown to almost a quarter million members, women whose dedication to making a difference binds them together. Membership in the P.E.O. Sisterhood provides common ground, a bridge between diverse women where we can celebrate difference in new and fulfilling ways.
A significant challenge faces our organization, however. The findings of the recent membership survey offer a sobering look at the current age demographics of P.E.O. Only 5 percent of our sisterhood is under the age of 40, while more than 40 percent are over the age of 70! The implications of this disparity are profound and very real. Without an infusion of new members younger than the majority of our existing membership, P.E.O. cannot thrive and we cannot continue to be true to our mission of promoting educational opportunities for women.
This dramatic skew in ages is not surprising, given that in general, people tend to seek out friends who have similar interests and experiences. The P.E.O. Sisterhood is no different, and when it comes time to invite new members to join our organization, we often turn to the familiar. This understandable affinity will not cultivate the longevity of our organization, however. P.E.O.s range in age across four generations, and while each member has diverse needs and unique life experiences, generational groupings provide a convenient way to describe women who share a common era. From the membership survey came an imperative recommendation to attract the next generation of members and leaders. Learning more about people different from ourselves is an important step to making the new friends who may someday be our sisters. We must overcome the inertial tendency to seek out those similar to us and create cross-generational friendships that will “bridge” our generational differences.
The era in which a woman was born contributes to her conception of self, her outlook on life and her motivational influences.
The value of “generational difference” research for our organization is twofold. Knowledge about difference can help drive a dialogue on developing best practices to inspire women from dissimilar populations. It can also be used to identify previously unrealized similarities among women,similarities that can be used to build generational bridges. The four broadly-accepted generational labels described below—Traditionalists, Baby Boomers, Generation X and Millennials—offer a brief look at the experiences and mind-set of people born during each encompassing span of years. Of course, these descriptions are limited due to the scope of this article—volumes have been written about the characteristics of each generation. Additionally, no “stereotype” can perfectly depict the lifetime experiences of a person or group. These representations should be used only as a starting point for further exploration.
In which of these generations do you fall?
Traditionalists, women born prior to 1946, grew up during both World Wars and the Great Depression. Radio was the only source of broadcast entertainment, and their expected education was a high school diploma. Traditionalists generally come from stable families and marry only once. For a Traditionalist, a career is to make a living and should last a lifetime. Traditionalists are “team players” and adopt a formal style of dress. They find reward in a “job well done” and tend to have great faith in American institutions. Traditionalists respect authority, tend to be fiscally conservative and consider leisure time as the reward for working hard (“duty before pleasure”). Approximately 60 percent of P.E.O. active members belong to the “Traditionalist” generation (less than 25 percent of U.S. women are in this age range).
Baby Boomers, women born from 1946 to 1964, saw the Cold War, the Civil Rights movement and Vietnam. Entertainment was found on three channels of television, and their expected educational attainment was a college degree. For Boomers,their career is the focus of life and they tend to be more self-absorbed in their interactions with others. They prefer to dress casually. Boomers question authority - “never trust anyone over 30”- but remain idealistic and optimistic. They will work extremely hard to provide opportunities for leisure and place an emphasis on personal growth “and personal gratification”. Less fiscally conservative than Traditionalists, Boomers like to spend and they feel entitled to success. Approximately 30 percent of P.E.O. active members belong to the “Baby Boom” generation (close to 40 percent of U.S. women fall in this age range).
Generation X spans the years 1965 to 1981. Gen Xers experienced the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Persian Gulf War, the rise of AIDS and the Challenger disaster. Many Xers went on to attain graduate degrees, and computers became commonplace. For many Gen Xers, a career is a necessary evil, and they have an entrepreneurial style of interaction. They adopt their own unique style of clothing, and leisure activities are a welcome respite from work. Xers ignore authority and may eschew leadership opportunities. They may have been “latch key kids” and are therefore self-reliant. Xers think globally, are committed to diversity and prefer informality. They attribute their success to their flexibility. Less than 10 percent of active P.E.O. members are “Generation X” (around 18 percent of U.S. women fall in this age range).
Millennials (or Generation Y) were born between 1982 and 2000. Their world experience includes the World Trade Center and Oklahoma City bombings, Desert Storm and the rise of the Internet. Lifelong learning is their goal, but they may not necessarily feel compelled to study in a formal setting or attain a degree. Millennials respect authority (but not blindly) and tend to be confident and socially conscious. A Millennial may have numerous careers over a lifetime, they dress how they want, and consider leisure activities an integral part of life. Like the Traditionalists, Millennials are “team players.&rdquo Success is a product of their own persistence. They may have been raised by a single parent, and are used to being cherished by family members. “Millennials” comprise around 1 percent of active P.E.O. membership (around 18 percent of U.S. women fall in this age range).
What are the implications of these generational identities for the P.E.O. organization? Possible conclusions include:
1. What intrinsically motivates one person may not motivate another.
It may be necessary to reassess and reframe the features and benefits of the P.E.O. organization to be more inclusive of diverse women.
2. An understanding of the role and practice of leadership differs generationally.
The scope and type of chapter administration activities may need to be redefined to satisfy alternative beliefs about leadership and involvement.
3. Group or community interaction may not bear the same importance to some as to others.
Some P.E.O. members work better in groups, while others may prefer to engage in a task on their own terms.
4. Outward appearances or surface characteristics may not accurately reflect a person's potential.
It may be easier, but it is not beneficial to look at someone who is different and consider they may not “fit in.” Given a chance, she might surprise you with how much you both have in common.
Ultimately, what binds us together is friendship. Through a celebration of our differences, we can help build bridges across generations of women. With understanding, we will rise to the challenge to grow our organization. Together, the P.E.O. Sisterhood can help meet the needs of its current membership and future sisters.
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When Did You Grow Up? Did you grow up in the 1930s? Then you experienced the Great Depression, FDR's New Deal, the disappearance of Amelia Earhart and the start of WWII. You ate the very first Twinkies and Fritos and maybe wondered about Colonel Sander's secret recipe. Perhaps your parents offered their opinion in a Gallup poll. People wore rayon dresses and synthetic nylon stockings and read the inaugural edition of Life Magazine. How about the 1940s? You witnessed Pearl Harbor, Japanese internment camps, D-Day, and the birth of the United Nations. Your mother may have been a “Rosie the Riveter” or made you a birthday cake using a Betty Crocker cake mix for the first time. You ate the first M&Ms and watched a Bulova watch tick for 60 seconds on TV. If you grew up in the 1950s, you lived through the Korean War, the McCarthy hearings and the start of the Vietnam War. You saw Rosa Parks refuse to give up her seat on the bus. Your mother wore gloves and pearls, perhaps purchased with a credit card. You ate TV dinners, drank diet soda and Tang, watched The Lone Ranger and Lassie and wished you could see Howdy Doody in “living color.” Growing up in the 1960s meant you experienced the country's fear during the Cuban Missile crisis and saw President Johnson sign the Civil Rights Act of 1964. You watched The Flintstones and Bullwinkle while your parents viewed the first televised presidential debates. You mourned for Marilyn Monroe, JFK and then Martin Luther King Jr. Life Cereal was served at breakfast, taco salads at lunch and dessert was a “Tunnel of Fudge” cake. What about the 1970s? You cheered for Mark Spitz at the Olympics and were shocked at the terrorist attacks in Berlin. You watched Watergate unfold and cried when the Beatles broke up. You cried again when Elvis died, and cheered at the end of “Star Wars.” You ate Pop Rocks and Jelly Bellies and your mother served zucchini bread because it was “healthier.” You tried on your mother's platform shoes and danced disco to the music of Saturday Night Fever. If you grew up in the 1980s, you saw the assassinations of John Lennon and Indira Gandhi and attempted assassinations of the Pope and Ronald Reagan. You watched in shock as the Challenger Space Shuttle exploded and saw the devastation of the Exxon Valdez oil spill. You stayed up all night to watch the Royal Wedding, ate Gardenburgers and drank New Coke. You danced like a “Material Girl,” ripped your sweatshirts at the collar and watched “Dallas” and “Dynasty” on TV. Sources: |
Author Bio Jamie Cromack, IS, Kirkland, Washington, a secondgeneration P.E.O., was initiated into Chapter AL in Tempe, Arizona, prior to moving to the Seattle area. She is a graduate of Arizona State University, with a Ph.D. in educational leadership and policy studies with a specialization in higher education. Jamie has been a media producer, a college teacher, an educational researcher and a faculty development specialist. She currently works with her husband, Garrick Barr, at his company, Synergy Sports Technology. Jamie and Garrick love to sail in their leisure time. |
Work Referenced
Generational Characteristics. (n.d.). Retrieved October 15, 2009, from State of Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services:http://www.dhss.mo.gov/LPHA/New2008MCHI/GenerationalDifferences_Worksheet_GalenHoff.pdf
Hoover, E. (2009, October 11). The Millennial Muddle: How stereotyping students became a thriving industry and a bundle of contradictions. Retrieved October 15, 2009, from The Chronicle of Higher Education: http://chronicle.com/article/The-Millennial-Muddle-How-/48772/
Lancaster, L., & Stillman, D. (2002, January). GenerationGaps. Retrieved November 2, 2009,from Bridgeworks: http://www.generations.com/pdf/Articles_Authored/TCBM.pdf
Lancaster, L., & Stillman, D. (2003, First Quarter). Tips on minimizing generational collisions. Retrieved November 2, 2009, from Bridgeworks: http://www.generations.com/pdf/Articles_Authored/ReflectionsNursingLeadership.pdf