Laurel Sanderson

Clark graduate, Long-time Hanover employee

"They [women] will never gain equal rights as long as there’s a man around [laughs]. I’m sorry, I’ll be bitter on this point. They can keep fighting, they can keep fighting. Just as an illustration, my Master’s thesis was entitled, 'The Psychology of the Salary Gap.'  I wrote that in 1987. Women were making 75 cents for every dollar men made. They are now making about 78 cents to every dollar men make. I mean, that’s one hell of a lot of no progress. I don’t know what it’s going to take to get equality and I just don’t know because now I’m beginning to see a backlash….No. I don’t know when there will be equality. Wait until Hillary starts running for presidency. You’re going to see a little bit of inequality, you’re going to see that woman … drawn and quartered. Mean. It’s going to be a blood bath."

Abstract: 

Laurel Sanderson was born in 1930 and spent her early years on a family farm in North Dakota. In this interview she describes the difficulties her parents had during the Great Depression, her working on the farm as a young girl, her two marriages, and going to college to earn her associate, bachelor, and master’s degrees. She reflects on moving to Worcester and living on her own after her divorce, the multiple jobs she had at a large Worcester company, and gender and age bias in the workplace.

Interview
Interview Date: 
October 23, 2006