In honor of Women’s History Month, an all-women panel discussed what it means to be a woman in the 21st century at a forum in the Fresno City College Theater on Monday.

The panel was composed of Dr. Cynthia Azari, FCC president, Dr. Edythe Steward, general surgeon, Margaret Mims, Fresno County Sheriff, FaithSidlow, television news anchor for KSEE 24, and Linda DeKruif, Department Chair of Women’s Studies at FCC.

Journalism instructor and Rampage adviser, Dr. Dympna Ugwu-Oju, moderated the event.

Speaking generally about how their gender has impacted their careers, the panelist focused on three areas: their background and their journey to their current positions; gender equity in their workplaces and feelings of fulfillment in their personal lives.

The panelists responded to questions regarding how they balance their personal and professional lives and offered advice to members of the audience. Most noted the challenges they faced in their fields and the changes that have taken place.

Sherriff Mims was the first female officer in Kerman. As a result of her hiring, badges had to be reissued, changing them from “patrolman” to “patrol officer.”

“For my uniforms I had to buy men’s shirts, pants and shoes and they all had to be tailored to fit. Thirty years later, I go to a uniform store, and they sell clothes for women,” she said.

Sidlow stated that despite a closing of the gap, many women in her field tend to be paid 77 percent of what their male counterparts receive. “But when the economy turned, the networks started cutting the higher paid anchors. Now you’re seeing a higher percentage of women on the air,” she said.

Addressing the topic of the impact of gender in the field of higher education, DeKriuf commented on the demographics of tenured, individuals at FCC. She said that looking at overall statistics, a higher percentage of men are tenured but at the beginning of every semester, during a presentation of newly hired and tenured faculty. It appears to that women are hired at the same level as men. She attributes the discrepancy (women achieve tenure as frequently as men.) to the higher rate of men who received their tenure 30 years ago are still making it seem as though current practices are imbalanced.

Stewart said she’d been told, “You can be a wife and be a mother and have a career, but you are never going to be great at all three at the same time.” She discussed the work required to maintain all the facets of her life as a surgeon, department chairperson, a wife, and a mother.

Azari offered encouragement for people to pursue their education regardless of where they are in their lives. She stated that she reached a point in her life where she was married, was raising children, and established in her career, but realized that she couldn’t advance any further without a master’s.

Azari said that it required a support system in which her husband played a key role as she pursued advancement in her career, a sentiment echoed by other the panelists.

Afterward, the chairman of Centennial Committee, inducted four more stars in their 100 Starts for 100 Years campaign: Susan B. Anderson, District 2 representative of the Fresno County Board of Supervisors, Dr. Leticia Escoto, a family practitioner, Sheriff Mims, and Dorothy Smith, a member of the State Center Community College District Board of Trustees.