| ||||||||||
 
Dr. Ronald P. Rogers CHIROPRACTOR Support for your body's natural healing capabilities 270-384-5554 Click here for details 
  
Columbia Gas Dept. GAS LEAK or GAS SMELL Contact Numbers 24 hrs/ 365 days 270-384-2006 or 9-1-1 Call before you dig 
Visit ColumbiaMagazine's Directory of Churches Addresses, times, phone numbers and more for churches in Adair County Find Great Stuff in ColumbiaMagazine's Classified Ads Antiques, Help Wanted, Autos, Real Estate, Legal Notices, More... 
|
Tommy Druen: Next chapter of progress should be co-authored Previous Column: The cultivation of understanding By Tommy Druen I never had the chance to meet my great-grandfather, William Elbert Druen. He passed away several years before I was born. From all accounts though, he was a kind and decent man, the sort of person who made others feel comfortable simply by being near him. He was a farmer and lived a life marked by hard work and conviction. He and my great-grandmother raised four children--three daughters, followed by their youngest, my grandfather. The girls were born in 1913, 1915, and 1920. Remarkably, each one graduated from Hart Memorial High School. That may not sound extraordinary today, but it was rare for girls--especially rural girls during the Great Depression--to finish high school. Each would've walked those hallways during the darkest economic downturn in American history. At a time when families were scraping by and children were pulled from school to work, my great-grandfather kept his daughters in the classroom. That simple choice, made in hardship, speaks volumes. Like most families, mine felt the weight of the Depression. I've heard stories of my great-grandfather laboring all day cutting tobacco for just twenty-five cents--and being grateful for the work. Still, he went to the bank seeking a loan to send his daughters to college. The banker declined--partly due to the economy, but also because he didn't see the point in educating girls past high school. That notion is foreign to me. I didn't grow up wondering if girls were as intellectually capable as boys--I grew up knowing they were. I came of age in the time of Margaret Thatcher and Sandra Day O'Connor. My mother was the valedictorian of her class, and in my own high school honors courses, the girls outnumbered the boys three to one. The idea that girls should be discouraged from achievement felt as outdated as a horse and buggy. Yet history tells another story. Even when women were allowed to work, their paths were narrowly drawn--teacher, nurse, secretary. Professions like law and medicine were largely out of reach. And even now, some public offices are seen as more "acceptable" for women. In Kentucky, roughly 70% of circuit and county clerks are women, but only seven counties have female judge-executives. Women make up less than 8% of county magistrates and commissioners. That's why I've never taken issue with efforts to encourage girls to explore male-dominated fields. Organizations like Girls Who Code, Step Up, and Girls Develop It have sparked interest and confidence in STEM over the past decade. And it's working. Since 2016, the share of American women in the STEM workforce has risen by 8%, now standing at 29%. The progress isn't limited to STEM. In 1976, women made up 47% of college students. Today, they account for 58%. Their numbers have more than doubled--from 5 million to 11 million. That's a story worth celebrating. But what about the boys? In the same period, male college enrollment rose only from 6 million to 8 million. Let me be clear--this isn't about resenting the success of young women. I'm thrilled to see it and want it to continue. But I do wonder if, in our push to lift up girls, we've inadvertently overlooked the struggles of our young men. Recent data shows that of Kentucky's 2017 high school seniors, 35% of the girls earned an associate's or bachelor's degree within seven years. That may sound underwhelming--until you learn that only 23% of the boys did the same. And it goes beyond degrees. Boys are underperforming in school, enrolling in college at lower rates, and entering the workforce more slowly. They're more likely to still be living at home a decade later. Rates of clinical depression and suicide among young men are climbing at alarming rates. Despite all this, the national conversation remains quiet. There's little discussion and even less action. Robert Baden-Powell, the founder of the Boy Scouts, once said, "The spirit is there in every boy; it has to be discovered and brought to light." That spirit still exists. But somewhere along the line, many boys are losing their way--and we're not doing enough to help them find it again. I know my great-grandfather would be proud of the opportunities my daughter has today--the very ones he once dreamed of for his girls. But I suspect he'd also want to ensure those same doors remain open for his great-grandsons. Empowering girls and supporting boys aren't mutually exclusive. We can--and must--do both. The next chapter of American progress shouldn't be exclusive to one gender; it should be co-authored. Tommy Druen is a native of Metcalfe County, with roots in Adair County going back to the 18th century. He presently lives in Georgetown, Kentucky and can be reached at tommydruen@gmail.com. This story was posted on 2025-07-03 08:21:05
Printable: this page is now automatically formatted for printing.
Have comments or corrections for this story? Use our contact form and let us know. More articles from topic Tommy Druen:
Tommy Druen: The cultivation of understanding Tommy Druen: Words matter Tommy Druen: Literacy was a treasure for Clem Coomer Tommy Druen: The Power of the Small Tommy Druen: Holes in the water Tommy Druen: Leadership Kentucky Tommy Druen: Dedication to the Journey Tommy Druen: A battle that can never be fully won Tommy Druen: Remember to take pictures Tommy Druen: On issues we can actually address View even more articles in topic Tommy Druen |
 
115 Jamestown St. Columbia, KY. 270-384-2496 
 
   
 Provided by the Adair Co Fiscal Court and the Adair Co. Emergency Mgt. Agency 
|
||||||||
|
| ||||||||||
|
Quick Links to Popular Features
Looking for a story or picture? Try our Photo Archive or our Stories Archive for all the information that's appeared on ColumbiaMagazine.com. | ||||||||||
|
Contact us: Columbia Magazine and columbiamagazine.com are published by Linda Waggener and Pen Waggener, PO Box 906, Columbia, KY 42728. Please use our contact page, or send questions about technical issues with this site to webmaster@columbiamagazine.com. All logos and trademarks used on this site are property of their respective owners. All comments remain the property and responsibility of their posters, all articles and photos remain the property of their creators, and all the rest is copyright 1995-Present by Columbia Magazine. Privacy policy: use of this site requires no sharing of information. Voluntarily shared information may be published and made available to the public on this site and/or stored electronically. Anonymous submissions will be subject to additional verification. Cookies are not required to use our site. However, if you have cookies enabled in your web browser, some of our advertisers may use cookies for interest-based advertising across multiple domains. For more information about third-party advertising, visit the NAI web privacy site.
| ||||||||||
