Mentoring and Networking

Women’s organizations keep female professionals plugged in

Story By MORGAN SIMMONS | Photography by MATT LEDGER

In 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.

A real estate agent with 40 years of experience, Billingsley got her first look at the hurdles facing women in the workforce when she left college and took a job at a local bank in the mid-1960s. “There were two bank tellers working next to each other, a man and a woman,” she says. “They did the exact same job, but she never made the money he did.”

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, women were paid about 81% of what men took in on average. “More attention has been given to equal pay, but it’s still not where it should be,” Billingsley says. “Women executives might make astronomical wages, but in general, working middle-class women still don’t get the respect they need in terms of pay.” Last year, the Glasgow Business and Professional Women’s Club raised $100,000 to establish an endowment fund for a library on Western Kentucky University’s satellite campus in Glasgow. The club had been tossing the idea around for 30 years. According to club member Davie Greer, who helped lead the fundraising effort, local businesses chipped in anywhere from $1 to $10,000 to pay for the new library space called the Learning Commons.

For 39 years, the club has sponsored an arts and crafts fair on the town square, which raises money for a nursing scholarship named in honor of Ann Rodgers, a local nurse and a founding member of the club. The club encourages its younger members to engage in public speaking. Mentoring is a longstanding club tradition. Billingsley says teaching leadership skills has remained a primary goal throughout the club’s 65-year history.

“We’d like to have more members, but people have so many things going on in their lives these days, they don’t have time,” she says. “I believe what we offer is still important. The friendships you develop, the people you meet – this kind of networking is really important in the business world.”

President Sharon Billingsley presents a commemorative plaque to outgoing 2018-2019 President Becky Barrick.

Glasgow is fortunate to have two organizations that support businesswomen. In addition to the Glasgow Business and Professional Women’s Club, there’s Barren County Networking Women, which represents all of Barren County and includes about 25 members that range in age from their 20s to their 70s. The organization started about 15 years ago.

Lisa Smith, the club’s recent president, says it emphasizes networking as a means of empowering women in their businesses and communities. “We hold a monthly lunch where we get together and share what’s going on with our businesses,” Smith says. “We discuss how we can help each other to better reach the community. It’s a way to open up networking to meet our specific needs.”

Smith is a stay-at-home mom who started her own business selling essential oils more than five years ago. The club also counts restaurant owners, bankers, real estate agents and hospital employees as members. Once a year, the group holds a fundraiser to support Cinderella’s Closet, a local business that provides formal wear to girls who otherwise could not afford to attend their proms.

Mentoring plays a big role among club members, especially when it comes to social media. The club relies heavily on its Facebook page to communicate with its members and to share news, and the younger members often find themselves teaching computer skills to the older generation. “The age gap is a good thing because we fill each other up,” Smith says. “Women still face a hard road going into business. With us, it’s not about competition, but empowerment. We’re here to support each other.”

President of Barren County Networking Women Lisa Smith.