Book Analysis: Pinstripes and Pearls
"We didn't fully understand what we were getting into -- what obstacles we would encounter, what trails we would blaze....We just knew, from an early age, that we wanted both to serve our country, help make our world a little better and a little safer -- just like our fathers and our brothers -- and to marry; rear honest, happy children; and lead fulfilling personal lives -- just like our mothers." “Pinstripes and Pearls” is a book which shows the challenges of the lives and careers of the women of Harvard Law School’s class of 1964 as told by Judith Richards Hope. This was a time when women were not considered desirable candidates for most professional jobs or admission to elite colleges and programs. There was lots of discrimination against women in the workplace as well as colleges, specifically Harvard Law School. This book showed the successes of the 15 women who graduated in Harvard Law School’s class of 1964 and the great struggles and obstacles they were faced with as they went through college and their careers. The focus of this analysis will be on how far women have come in the past 50 years, why it is so much harder for women to rise through the ranks of successful careers and be considered equals once they do, and if there ever can truly be a perfect balance between a women’s work life and home life. Although women I don’t believe that women are viewed as completely equal to men in society yet, thankfully they have come a long way since Judith Hope and her classmates attended Harvard and worked in the legal field. There was so much blatant discrimination against women trying to fill “men’s” positions during this time. Many of the women Judith interviewed even received warnings from their own fathers about entering the field of law. Judith writes. “Our fathers were supportive our decision, but concerned. They knew