Boarding Schools for Girls

During World War II, Rosie the Riveter was an iconic image that represented the strength and abilities of women who were supporting the war effort by working in previously male-dominated workplaces such as factories.

Sixty-five years later, Rosie is still serving as a symbol of female empowerment, this time as the inspiration for a charter school for girls in Southern California. Bob Pool of the Los Angeles Times described the innovative objective of Rosie the Riveter High in a Dec. 3 article:

The Long Beach charter school was created in 2007 to help prepare teenage girls for careers as welders, plumbers, carpenters, electricians and other trades.

Today, its 50-member student body includes girls and boys, but its organizers still attempt to break down barriers for women seeking careers in what largely remains a man's world.

"It's about trying to change the way society looks at women," said Lynn Shaw, who helped create Rosie the Riveter High. "We just feel that women should have an equal opportunity." ...

"The idea had been to call the school Youth Opportunity Charter High School or something like that," Shaw said. "But that sounded really boring."

The group's executive director, Alexandra Torres Galancid, suggested that they name it after Rosie instead.

Labels: education, charter school, career

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Weight discrimination is one of the many challenges facing overweight young women as they attempt to earn a place in the working world.

A study by Dr. Mark Roehling of Michigan State University has revealed that being overweight may hold women back in their careers, but may actually help men.

Dr. Roehling and his colleagues went through records from 1,000 large companies.

• Among female bosses, 22 percent were overweight, compared to a national average of 29 percent of American women.


• Among male bosses, 61 percent were overweight, compared to 41 percent of men.


• Only five percent of the bosses were obese, compared to between 36 and 38 percent of all Americans.

For adolescent and teen girls who are also struggling with behavior problems, substance abuse disorders, or other conditions that negatively impact their healthy development, being overweight adds yet another obstacle to overcome en route to a more satisfying future.

Labels: girls, career, overweight, discrimination

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