Gail: But that's in the house!
Scott: Perhaps not as much in the community or the public, but I was never taught that women should take a backseat. My mom was very strong; my grandmas were very powerful. Now, working in an environment like this, where there are a lot of different dynamics, sometimes I need to take a step-
back. (To Gail) For example, I called you a number of times, just to have a better understanding of what the rail is and what the operations are, and you took time to explain something better than some of your male counterparts, and I appreciate that. But, when there's a decision to be made, man or woman, it has to be made.
Gail: I agree with that. I grew up with a very strong mother, too. She went to the University of Chicago, and got a Master’s Degree in 1938 or something. She was such a strong woman. Sometimes, in the meetings, I'm like "We need to do this" or "We need to do that," and here is a woman saying that, and men resent that. Men want a woman saying, "Have you thought about trying this?" They don't want you to say, "Well, that's stupid; let's do this instead!" But, men wouldn't hesitate to say it.
Scott: And from my personal perspective--I've been in this line of work for 20 years--I have seen the evolution of women being more empowered and having more powerful roles and more executive decision-making roles. When I look at my daughter, I want to make certain that she feels empowered to make decisions, and she doesn't have to defer to a male. If she is right, and she has the answer, stand up and say it!
Gail: It may not be received the way you want it to be received.
Ceres: At the same time, it's taking a risk. Some women are afraid to take risks because they don't think they deserve what they are going after. Everything is about consequences, too. What do you think, Patricia?
Patricia: Well, when I was working really hard to try to get through my challenges and achieve my goals; a lot of those times, I was hard on myself, thinking I need to improve this or that. Often, I think you're your own worst critic, and I think women need to stop doing that. Believe in yourself--I know it's probably cheesy--but believe in yourself because I think it hurts your confidence level if you don't! Women, in general, are just too hard on themselves, and they may not go after a promotion because they think that they don't qualify enough for it, as you were saying. Don't undermine yourself! You should just go after something, and don't be afraid to risk it and compete with the men; they are doing it.
Gail: I agree. And, I will say that age really helps, too. It is easy for me to say something such as "That's a dumb idea" in a meeting, then I polish up, but I would never have said that in my forties, or even fifties.
Ceres: At the end, if you don't try anything, or say anything, or risk it, you never are going to know, and never going to have it.
Gail: Take it from me, I'm close to retirement, now. If I had done things differently back then, I'd be a whole lot further ahead now, but it was also the risk-taking, and raising the kids... there are always consequences.
Ceres: Elissa, what would you say as a means of empowering women?
Elissa: I would say that all the chairs around the table look the same, so there's equal opportunity for everyone around the table. I'm very honored to be a Metrolink executive in an industry that historically has had fewer women. I want to make sure that I model my behavior on how I want to serve, as a model for those in this organization and in this industry, and for women anywhere. So, this is a great opportunity to show how women can lead and that our ideas and leadership styles are equally important.
Ceres: Any last thoughts that any of you would want to add?
Patricia: Thank you for doing something like this because I think raising awareness about women in public transportation can only help and empower other women to get involved.
Ceres: Well, thank you to all of you for your time, and your thoughts on women working in public transportation, and on their roles, in general, in today's society.
(*) Measure R is a half-cent sales tax for Los Angeles County to finance new transportation projects and programs, and accelerate those already in the pipeline. The tax took effect July 2009. Measure R alone does not fully fund all projects. The Measure contains an Expenditure Plan that identifies the projects to be funded and additional fund sources that will be used to complete the projects. https://www.metro.net/projects/measurer/).
Al Mohymont for Ceres Magazine
89 - Ceres Magazine - Winter 2016