Jean Amman was just beginning her career in education and administration at Ball State University 26 years ago. While just getting her foot in the door, she remembers hearing stories of colleagues and peers who had experienced discrimination and gone unnoticed in the workforce simply because they were woman.
Amman thought she had escaped the painful experiences of her fellow colleagues, however, once she entered graduate school, she too became subject to mistreatment.
"After the first year [of graduate school], I went in to tell the graduate director that I wanted to reduce my load for one quarter because I would be having a baby in October. His immediate reaction was "Well, that is too bad! You had been doing so well, too!"
Amman's graduate director may have thought her career was over the moment she decided to have children, but he could not have been more wrong. Today Amman has raised six children while balancing a successful career. She served as the assistant to the provost for 22 years at Ball State and now serves as the president of the Muncie American Association for University Women and Indiana State President of AAUW.
Amman said through her leadership at AAUW, she hopes to give a voice to those women who never were allowed to speak out about their experiences, while also teaching women of today's generation to use their voices as an effective tool.
While in today's society many such as Amman are pushing for women to be widely recognized, there is still a lack of knowledge of women from the past, said Kathleen Kreamelmeyer, assistant professor of elementary education.
"History books have been mainly written from a male Caucasian perspective... what was happening in their lives and at that point in our history women were not as significant as men, weren't treated as well or respected as well," Kathleen Kreamelmeyer said. "That goes even further with women of minority. If you think Caucasian women have not been represented in books, think about Native American women and African American women. That is why I think it is great to provide students with books that talk about another perspective."
However, Kreamelmeyer said she also hopes one day women will be recognized and celebrated every day to the point that there will no longer be a need for Women's History Month.
"Traditionally women have kept more to themselves about what they have done. I think Women's History Month is a chance for women to be more exposed. It is a specific time to say these are accomplishments of women in the past and this is what women are doing today," she said.
According to the NWHP, this lack of information about women and their accomplishments has led to a lack of role models for young girls and women. However, Kreamelmeyer said this could change if women would just begin writing about their lives.
"I think part of it begins with writing about your life. Keep those journals, notes, and records of accomplishment, and put them in a box so your daughters and granddaughters will have access to them," she said. "I think if we just begin with our own personal history then that can spread so that we do have access to what life was like during that specific time period."
Marilyn Weaver, department chair of journalism, said she remembers the lack of women role models in her career, as she has always followed men in her department being the first female chairwoman; however she has become a role model in her own right for her outstanding achievements and contributions to the Ball State journalism department.
When looking at the Atrium and its beautiful wide open architecture, many may not know that one of the most popular and functional spaces on campus would not have been possible if it was not for Weaver.
"I worked very hard along with the staff to create a space that was very functional, open, bright and beautiful. I feel like when the Atrium was finished, I had left my legacy on Ball State University. I was able to kind of shepherd that project along."
Many women like Weaver have been elected into positions that have previously been occupied by men, but Ashley Donnelly, assistant professor of telecommunications, said it is still important to remember the struggle for women's equality is an ongoing fight that still has many issues that need to be tackled.
"It is really important for young women in particular to understand what feminism is. It means equality and it is important to understand that the struggle for equality is still going on. A lot of people just assume that we have achieved that and we do not have to worry about that anymore," she said. "The struggle for equal representation in media and equal ideas about what women can do has not been established yet, and we are still fighting for that cause, I think people need to remember that."
Amman said she has made it a goal in her career to teach women that their work never stops, and that they can make an impact on society no matter what age or stage of life they are in.
In 2009, Amman was honored as one of the recipients of the 2009 Indiana Women of Achievement Award by the Indiana Women of Achievement Committee, and when accepting her award said she is hopeful not only for her future, but for every person in the room whether male or female.
"None of us should see our work as anything but just beginning. And so I hope that 10, 15, 20 years from now, or whenever I cannot see, hear, or get around as well, that while sitting in an easy chair, I will continue to use my words to write and call congressmen, make phone calls to help local organizations, enjoy conversations with friends and family, and read the great literature with its words that both teach and inspire. Yes, whatever we all have accomplished really is just a beginning, and I wish for you the best as together we continue the work of a lifetime."
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