Mentoring I and networking
Women’s organizations keep female professionals plugged in Story By MORGAN SIMMONS | Photography by MATT LEDGER
n the mid-1950s the U.S. postwar economy was booming, but women who wanted to have their own businesses still had a long way to go. Only about 1 in 3 women participated in the labor force, and those who did find work outside the home tended to be secretaries, bank tellers or clerical workers. A group of women in Glasgow decided to try to change this trend. On Oct. 6, 1955, with support from the local chamber of commerce, they chartered the Glasgow Business and Professional Women’s Club. The initial membership included 115 women, making it the largest club of its kind in the nation at the time. While there has been progress, the nonprofit club still has plenty of work to do, says its president, Sharon Billingsley. “It’s pretty amazing that all those women got together back then with one goal in mind,” she says. “Our mission has stayed pretty much the same over the years. We’re still here to empower women in the workplace and careers. We push for equal pay and better working conditions, and sometimes we get involved in political issues that affect women.” The Glasgow Business and Professional Women’s Club draws members from a wide spectrum of business backgrounds, including bankers, hospital employees, accountants, teachers and independent entrepreneurs. They meet monthly at a local bistro and catering company. The club is the local affiliate of the Kentucky Federation of Business and Professional Women’s Clubs, a state organization that is part of a national group dating back to World War I. The Glasgow Business and Professional Women’s Club is down to about 40 members, but Billingsley says other community business clubs, such as the Kiwanis and Rotary clubs, are experiencing reduced membership, too.
Glasgow Business and Professional Women’s Club Treasurer Tara Bailey, left, President Sharon Billingsley and President-elect Ruth Hunley meet to review upcoming events.
12 | March/April 2020
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